Sean McVay has been hard at work assembling his coaching staff for 2020 after several changes were made. Out are Wade Phillips, Skip Peete and John Fassel, and in are Brandon Staley, Thomas Brown and John Bonamego.
Adding to the defensive side of the ball, the Rams are also hiring Akron cornerbacks coach Jonathan Cooley as a defensive assistant. Cooley confirmed the news on Twitter, changing his profile picture to the Rams’ logo and putting “LA RAMS” in his bio.
SOURCES: #Akron CB coach Jonathan Cooley will join the #Rams staff as a Defensive Assistant/QC and re-unite w/ former colleague Brandon Staley, another guy with John Carroll roots. In 2019, Cooley was selected by NFL for 2019 Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship w/ the Rams.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 11, 2020
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/h4QUxTryKI
— Jonathan Cooley (@CoachWh1p) February 11, 2020
Cooley is yet another young hire by McVay, being just 30 years old. His addition falls in line with the recent hires made by McVay, along the likes of Staley and Kevin O’Connell.
Last season was his first year at Akron, serving as the cornerbacks coach. He was the secondary coach at Kent State in 2018 after spending a year at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2017.
Cooley’s first coaching job was as an assistant at Millikin University in 2011. The following year, he was the safeties coach at Bluffton University. Cooley coached at his alma mater, John Carroll University, for two seasons in 2013 and 2014.