In a somewhat surprising move, the Rams parted ways with Wade Phillips as their defensive coordinator. Sean McVay replaced him with 37-year-old Brandon Staley, who has been an outside linebackers coach under Vic Fangio for the last three years; two in Chicago and one year in Denver.
Staley has only been an NFL coach since 2017, so his connections to players don’t exactly run deep. However, these four players are set to hit free agency in March and have played for Staley in the past.
OLB Aaron Lynch
Lynch spent one year with Staley as his coach in 2018 with the Bears, playing 13 games with three starts. He recorded three sacks, eight QB hits, one interception and 16 total tackles that year, which are admittedly not overly impressive numbers.
Lynch isn’t a prolific pass rusher, but rather a better run defender at 6-5, 285 pounds. He fits best on the strong side as a left outside linebacker, which is where Clay Matthews currently resides.
No one is saying Lynch would solve the Rams’ issues at outside linebacker, but he wouldn’t be a bad depth piece as he could probably play defensive end in sub-packages, too.