It was fully expected that after Brandon Staley was hired as the Chargers’ head coach, he would sift through the Rams’ coaching staff for candidates to add to his own staff. After being blocked from interviewing offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, Staley moved on to Joe Barry.
According to Tom Pelissero, Staley and the Chargers are expected to hire Barry as their defensive pass game coordinator and linebackers coach. Barry has been with the Rams since 2017, which is when Sean McVay brought him over from Washington where the two worked together.
New #Chargers coach Brandon Staley is bringing along at least one assistant from the #Rams — Joe Barry is expected to join Staley as defensive passing game coordinator and linebackers coach, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 21, 2021
Barry is highly regarded within the Rams organization, getting a chance to interview for the defensive coordinator vacancy last year before Staley landed the job. He’s been a coach for two decades so experience is certainly on his side.
The Rams are looking for their own defensive coordinator after Staley left for the Chargers, but it’s unclear if Barry interviewed for the job this offseason as he did last year.
With Staley assembling his staff, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he hires another assistant or two from the Rams’ coaching staff at some point.