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Rams Make Unexpected Coaching Hire on Sunday
Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay in the first half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams have made another addition to their coaching staff on Sunday, once again turning to the defensive side of things, making their second hire of the offseason on that side of the ball after hiring defensive backs coach Michael Hunter earlier this month.

The Rams Hire From the Collegiate Ranks Once Again

According to College Football Insider Pete Thamel, the Rams are hiring Robert Wright, the former defensive coordinator at Syracuse.

"Sources: The LA Rams are set to hire Robert Wright as a defensive assistant," stated Thamel. "Wright is the former DC at Syracuse and Buffalo. In his first year at Syracuse, the Orange went 10-3 and defeated No. 6 Miami. Wright is a Mike Elko disciple with stops at Duke and Texas A&M."

McVay Loves College Coaches

Wright becomes the latest in a series of collegiate coaching hires that Rams head coach Sean McVay has executed since becoming the head man in 2017. McVay explained why he likes collegiate coaches earlier this month.

“It's a good question," stated McVay. "I think the first thing is there's just a wide range there. There are great coaches everywhere. Some of the best coaches that I've ever been around were my high school coaches and so whether it's little league, whether it's high school, college, professional, there are great coaches everywhere. Our job is to identify. We've had some fortunate examples of getting some exposure to some special people through different connections that have really worked out."

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"You talk about guys like [Pass Game Coordinator] Nate Scheelhaase, being able to get him from Iowa State and what a stud he's become. Then you look at other guys, whether it's the [Texans Offensive Coordinator Nick] Caley's, the [Offensive Line Coach] Ryan Wendell's from the Belichick background and then, [Special Teams Coordinator] Bubba Ventrone coming in here. He's a great coach. I respect the way that he does it."

"There's a foundational philosophy. There's a demand of the discipline, the intrinsic motivation, the consistent things, the ball's right. When guys that have been around good settings and situations, usually they're trained the right way and then they've got their makeup and the competitive makeup to be able to handle some of the different things that you go through when you're around greats like Coach Belichick."

"We are going to really do our due diligence. I think the fortunate thing for us is we've had a lot of reps at this. You don't want to rush it and you want to look at the successful outcomes. You want to look at the times that maybe you've been shortsighted and make sure that you do a great job of being able to put together the best staff because it's like putting together a team."

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

"The cohesiveness and the staff continuity and connection amongst those guys is so freaking important to me. Who you bring in and their makeup is so vital because we got a bunch of high character guys that push each other in the right ways. It just takes one miss to mess up those dynamics and make sure that we're betting on the right people. I'm excited about whoever we bring in here this year.”

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Rams on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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