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Jun 3, 2025; Woodland Hills, CA, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay (left) and tight ends coach Scott Huff during organized team activities at Rams Practice Facility. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Where ESPN Ranked Rams, 49ers Among NFL’s Best Coaching Staffs

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Aug 3, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Ben Solak invested only 22 words on Sean McVay’s offense in ranking the NFL’s 32 coaching staffs on Friday, but he did share plenty of keystroke concerns about the Los Angeles defense. Solak dropped the Rams two spots to No. 5 in the league, and two spots lower than he listed the 49ers this season (No. 3).

“The Rams are very well coached on offense,” Solak wrote. “McVay is a whiz kid-turned-whiz man. We all know this. Moving on.”

Defense was enigmatic

Moving on, as in moving the ball on the Rams’ defense last year, gave Solak pause. While Los Angeles impressively finished the year, the unit was below average in many revealing categories. Chris Shula’s group ranked 28th in EPA per play – expected points added, essentially the Rams’ performance compared to the average of the other 31 defenses in similar down-and-distance, field-position, and time-remaining situations.

Los Angeles also allowed 2.24 points per drive, the worst mark among the 14 NFL teams that qualified for the postseason. And, only Washington (23.0) allowed more points per game among playoff teams last year than the Rams (22.7), who ranked No. 17 in that department.

“On the other hand,” Solak said, “the personnel available was clearly that of a below-average defense, and I like what Shula did schematically. The Rams protected an undermanned back seven with creative zone coverages and brackets, trusting in their pass rush to win games for them (e.g., the 27-9 wild-card victory over Minnesota).”

In that win over the Vikings, Los Angeles matched a single-game NFL postseason record with nine sacks – one of which came when Ahkello Witherspoon got home on a corner blitz, forcing a Sam Darnold fumble that Jared Verse scooped up and returned 57 yards for a second-quarter touchdown. That level of creativity, given that Verse and Braden Fiske were rookies trying to help replace Aaron Donald, impressed Solak.

“The pass rush was certainly powered by Defensive Rookie of the Year Jared Verse, but don't overlook Shula's impact,” Solak added. “The Rams had one of the league's lowest blitz rates, with one of the highest rates of dropping players off the line of scrimmage and into coverage. Shula used pre-snap alignment to generate one-on-ones without taxing his secondary -- the right approach, given his personnel.”

Cautiously optimistic, the approach Solak adopted might be best until Shula proves he can continue to pressure quarterbacks at effective rates. Los Angeles didn’t draft a cornerback and enters the year with the same defensive secondary that finished 20th against the pass (223.1 yards allowed per game).

Across the league

Interestingly, the Rams weren’t even first in their division thanks to Robert Saleh’s San Francisco return. Solak ranked the 49ers third, two spots better than Los Angeles. Former McVay offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell earned the No. 1 perch in the rankings.

Looking across the league at McVay’s former assistants , Matt LaFleur’s Packers ranked 10th, Nick Caley and the Houston Texans were 12th, Raheem Morris, Zac Robinson and the Falcons were 25th and the staff assembled by Liam Coen, the new Jaguars head coach, was No. 31.

Solak did not consider special teams coaches in his rankings.

Breaking Rams news is best served with OnSI. Follow @RamsInsideronSI and @BrockVierra on X (Twitter) for the best information. And, don’t forget to share your feedback on where ESPN ranked the Rams’ coaches by visiting our Facebook page (here).

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

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