Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams pass game coordinator Chris Shula against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Where Rams' DC Chris Shula Stands Among Other Coordinators

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 7:00 AM ET

The Los Angeles Rams have one of the most well-respected head coaches in the league in Sean McVay. As one of the youngest head coaches in National Football League history, McVay has already helped several other coaches gain prominent roles around the league.

He has another up-and-coming coach in defensive coordinator Chris Shula. Although relatively inexperienced, Shula comes from a legendary pedigree and has already demonstrated improvement in a short time on the job.

It is Shula's first time serving as an NFL defensive coordinator, but he is already producing a defense that most consider on the rise. Jacob Infante of the Pro Football Network recently ranked all of the defensive coordinators in the league. He ranked Shula the 26th-best.

"The Los Angeles Rams have some enticing young talents on their roster, but it hasn’t all come together for them as a unit on defense yet. Higher expectations should come for Chris Shula in his second year as their defensive coordinator," Infante said.

"The grandson of legendary [Miami] Dolphins head coach Don Shula climbed up the ranks of the Rams’ organization for seven seasons before becoming defensive coordinator. They placed 24th in Defense+ last year, and they made no significant offseason additions to their defense. If the Rams improve their defense in 2025, it’ll be a credit to Shula’s coaching."

Earlier this offseason, Shula shared some of the memories he has with his legendary grandfather, as well as some of the lessons he learned from one of the greatest NFL coaches ever.

"Definitely. It’s a lot of the stuff you hear stories about almost every single day, especially coaching in the NFL. It’s one of my favorite parts—playing a road game, someone grabbing you and saying, ‘Hey, you know I coached against your grandpa,’ or ‘I worked for your grandpa,’ or things like that. He was a grandfather to me. Obviously, a ton of interaction—not necessarily while he was coaching," Shula said.

"When he was coaching the Dolphins and retired, I was living in Cincinnati still. So obviously not as much. Then we moved to South Florida, and he was living in Miami. So, I obviously got pretty close with him, and he’s the best guy. My uncle and my dad always kind of said about him, ‘Hey, you could set your watch on where he was going to be on a certain day.’ You knew exactly... he was so disciplined, you knew exactly what he was going to be doing every single day. I tried to model myself [after him.]"

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

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