The Los Angeles Rams coaching staff underwent significant changes this offseason, including the departures of Wade Phillips and John Fassel. Some were Sean McVay’s decision while others were made by the coaches themselves, opting to leave for other opportunities.
The biggest change is at defensive coordinator where 37-year-old Brandon Staley will take over after three years as an outside linebackers coach. Coming from Vic Fangio’s coaching tree, Staley plans to keep the Rams’ current 3-4 defense.
He also doesn’t expect to make major changes to the scheme itself, saying there will be similarities to the defense Phillips ran. That was at the request of McVay, who Staley says didn’t want to make big changes to a unit that was pretty good in 2019.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Staley said of whether the Rams will stay in a 3-4. “I think that’s why it was such a good fit. Sean was very specific in what he was looking for. He didn’t want to make wholesale changes because this was a very good defense. So I think stylistically, it’ll be similar to what has been here before.”
Staley has never been a defensive coordinator, which obviously didn’t deter McVay from hiring him. That’s likely because McVay wants to have more of a say on defense than he did when Phillips was coaching that side of the ball.
With Staley, McVay can influence what the Rams do defensively, aiming to become more adaptable and diverse rather than typically rolling out very similar game plans each week. It’s a risk, but it’s one McVay is confident enough to take.
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