LATEST NEWS:The Rams have appointed former Chargers interim head coach to lead their defensive line.

Los Angeles Rams temporary head coach Giff Smith of the Los Angeles Chargers for 2023 is the team’s successor for departing head coach Eric Henderson on the defensive line. The longtime assistant will join the Rams as their new defensive line coach and run game coordinator, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Smith, an outstanding assistant coach, turned down numerous job offers to remain in Los Angeles. 2010 saw him begin his professional career as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills. He was the outside linebackers coach for the Chargers in 2023 until stepping in as the team’s temporary head coach in Week 16 following Brandon Staley’s dismissal from head coaching.

Despite the Chargers’ overall lack of success in 2017, Smith’s outside linebacker group contributed to one of the league’s finest pass rushes, as the club finished in the top 10 for total sacks with 48 during the season.

Despite adding youngsters Kobie Turner and Byron Young, the Rams pass rush did not improve from 2022 to 2023 and finished 23rd in the NFL with 41 sacks overall. Smith’s knowledge and experience as a defensive coach, both at the lineman and linebacker levels, could contribute to raising that total. Smith’s time spent working with Staley makes him an obvious choice for the Rams defense.

As defensive coordinator for the Rams since 2020, Staley laid the groundwork for the defense that Raheem Morris would build upon and refine when he arrived in 2021. Smith should have a solid understanding of the subtleties of what Staley and Morris are attempting to do on the defensive end of the ball, as Chris Shula, the new defensive coordinator, is anticipated to implement a system that is similar to both of them.