REPORT:The Rams are interviewing a number of candidates, including Chris Shula and Aubrey Pleasant, for the position of defensive coordinator.

After losing numerous important players in the last week, the coaching staff of the Los Angeles Rams will look very different in 2024.

Raheem Morris, the former defensive coordinator, was the largest loss when he took a head coaching position with the Atlanta Falcons. Morris is bringing along several members of head coach Sean McVay’s staff, including Jimmy Lake and Zac Robinson, as is traditional.

Every offseason, McVay loses a few members of his staff, so he will look for capable people to take their place. It will be difficult to find a good defensive coordinator, and McVay might be seeking for someone with more experience as the organization reportedly visited with Ron Rivera, the head coach of the Washington Commanders, about the position.

According to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Athletic, Los Angeles will reportedly speak with Aubrey Pleasant and Chris Shula in order to consider hiring from within in addition to Rivera:

But McVay and company are taking their time, as they have contacted players all around the league through ESPN’s Todd Archer and Adam Schefter:

Because of their knowledge with McVay and the system, Pleasant and Shula are attractive prospects. However, given how well the defensive groups of the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens performed in the 2023 season, an outside hiring like Aden Durde or Dennard Wilson may add some important information.

Given that McVay hasn’t shied away from taking chances when selecting coordinators, it will be intriguing to watch which path they choose.

Rams are considering hiring Brandon Staley to be their defensive coordinator.
Although the defense will suffer greatly from Morris’s loss, McVay should have a strong candidate pool to choose from. Reuniting with Brandon Staley, who the organization is allegedly interested in doing so after he was released by the Los Angeles Chargers, is one possibility.