Report: Chris Shula, grandson in Hall of Famer Don Shula, is now the defensive coordinator for the Rams.

Report: Chris Shula, grandson in Hall of Famer Don Shula, is now the defensive coordinator for the Rams.

The Rams have found a player to replace Raheem Morris, and they were unable to look very hard. NFL Media says that Chris Shula is being promoted to defensive coordinator by the Rams. He was previously the pass rush leader and linebackers coach.

Shula, the great-grandson of the late Hall of Famer coach Don Shula, was also said to be in the running for the job of defensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins.

The 37-year-old defense assistant has worked for Los Angeles for seven years, mostly with linebackers.

In 2022, his job title was defensive backs coach. Shula worked with McVay at Miami University (Ohio), and he was on the staff that helped the Rams win the Super Bowl in 2021. From 2015 to 2016, he was the Chargers’ defense quality control coach.

His grandfather, Don, was an NFL head coach who did a lot of great things. He was the Dolphins’ coach for 26 years, from 1970 to 1995, and still holds the record for most career wins (328). He won two Super Bowls and was named Coach of the Year four times.

In 1972, he led the only perfect season in league history. He was the first coach to appear in six different Super Bowls.

The elder Shula was elected into the professional football’s Hall of Fame in 1997. He passed away in 2020, at the age of 90.

He is still involved with the NFL. His son Dave, who is additionally Chris’ father, became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 1992 to 1996, and his other son Mike is a senior offense assistant for the Buffalo Bills right now.

Sean McVay, the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams, said before the offseason that the only way his staff of coaches would change was if someone got promoted somewhere else.

Since 2017, when McVay took over, Shula has been an important part of his staff. McVay usually stays out of the defense and hires experienced defensive minds instead, but Shula has made it through every coaching change.

At first, he was an assistant coach for the linebackers. Since then, he has been the outside safeties coach, the linebackers coach, the defensive backs coach, the pass-game coordinator, and the pass-rush coordinator.

Before starting with the Rams, he was an assistant coach for the San Diego Chargers for four years and a college coach for five. Shula has had a few different roles on his side of the ball during his seven years with Los Angeles.

League sources confirmed ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday that the Rams have promoted Chris Shula from pass-rush coordinator as well as linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.

Raheem Morris left his team to become the head coach for the Falcons, which made room for Shula to become defensive coordinator.

Shula takes over for Raheem Morris, who was the defensive coordinator for the Rams for three years before becoming the head coach of the Falcons. Schefter says that the Dolphins sought to talk to Shula about the job of defensive coordinator.

Shula has worked with Rams manager Sean McVay in Los Angeles since February 2017, before he was hired as an assistant football coach for defense.

Before he joined the Rams, he worked for two years as a defensive quality assurance coach for the Chargers.

From 2004 to 2007, Shula and McVay played together in college at Miami (Ohio). The Rams lost several important defensive players offseason, such as cornerback Jalen Ramsey along with linebacker Bobby Wagner. In 2023, their defense ranked 22nd in total DVOA.

After starting with the Rams as an assistant linebackers coach in 2017, Shula worked his way up the coaching staff and is now the pass game coordinator, defensive backs coach, pass rush coordinator, and linebackers coach. He is 37 years old.

It’s possible that the Rams moved quickly today after hearing that the Dolphins wanted to talk to Shula about the defensive coordinator job they have open. Don Shula coached the Florida Dolphins from 1970 to 1995 and is in the Hall of Fame. Shula is his grandfather.