7 potential offensive coordinator candidates for the Rams
Sean McVay has officially announced his return for the 2023 season and one of his first tasks will be a familiar one: finding an offensive coordinator. It’s become an annual tradition for the Rams’ head coach, seeing a ton of turnover at that spot – and not because he keeps firing them.
Liam Coen is the latest to leave, returning to Kentucky where he’ll once again be the offensive coordinator for the second time in three years. So McVay needs to find his replacement, and there are some quality internal and outside candidates to consider.
Here are seven potential OCs for the Rams in 2023.
Thomas Brown, Rams TEs coach/assistant HC
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
Brown would make a lot of sense and promoting him to offensive coordinator would ensure he remains in Los Angeles for at least another year. He’s a valuable member of the Rams’ coaching staff, which is something McVay mentions every chance he gets.
Brown hasn’t been with the Rams for very long but he’s already risen to a head coaching candidate, earning an interview with the Dolphins last year and the Texans this offseason. The Rams may be preparing to give him an even bigger role this year anyway, and he’s surely someone to watch as an offensive coordinator candidate.
Zac Robinson, Rams QBs coach/pass game coordinator
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Robinson is also believed to be an offensive coordinator candidate for teams seeking help at that spot this offseason. He’s both a former NFL quarterback and Pro Football Focus analyst, earning his first job in coaching with the Rams in 2019 as an assistant QBs coach under McVay. Now, he’s their primary QBs coach and pass game coordinator, so he works closely with McVay and Matthew Stafford.
That bodes well as he looks to earn an offensive coordinator job, potentially with the Rams if McVay goes the internal route.
Greg Olson, senior offensive assistant
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If McVay wants a more experienced coach to be his offensive coordinator, Olson is someone to consider. He has 20-plus years of coaching experience in the NFL, holding the title of offensive coordinator six separate times in his career. He was most recently an OC with the Raiders under Jon Gruden, but he’s currently a senior offensive assistant with the Rams.
Promoting him to offensive coordinator and allowing him to take command of that side of the ball would make life easier for McVay.
Mike LaFleur, former Jets OC
It was reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network that LaFleur is expected to land on McVay’s staff, but he didn’t specify what LaFleur’s job title would be. Offensive coordinator is a logical possibility, seeing as LaFleur was just the Jets’ OC and previously worked as the 49ers’ pass game coordinator.
The Jets may not have had the most prolific offense, but they also didn’t have very steady play at quarterback under LaFleur. He’s another young coach who would fit the mold of McVay’s previous coordinators, but he also a coach who has called offensive plays before.
Frank Reich, former Colts HC
Reich was fired by the Colts during the 2022 season after the team fell way short of expectations. He should be near the top of the Rams’ list of potential offensive coordinator candidates because of the experience and track record he brings to the table. Reich was a successful offensive coordinator with the Eagles before landing the Colts job, leading the third-best offense in points scored in 2017.
In nine years as a coordinator and head coach, Reich’s offenses have ranked in the top 10 four times. He’s someone McVay could delegate more responsibility to, including play calling.
Kliff Kingsbury, former Cardinals HC
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Kingsbury doesn’t sound all that interested in coaching jobs right now, buying a one-way ticket to Thailand after being fired by the Cardinals. He clearly wants to take some time away from coaching, but what if McVay is willing to wait a few months for Kingsbury to get back into the mix?
McVay and Kingsbury are friends and they almost worked on the same Rams staff in 2018 before Kingsbury landed with the Cardinals. His stint in Arizona was unsuccessful but there were moments when the Cardinals looked like one of the best offenses in football.
Scott Turner, former Commanders OC
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Turner was Washington’s offensive coordinator from 2020-2022, which was an unsuccessful stint largely because of the team’s lack of stability at quarterback. He previously worked as the Panthers’ quarterbacks coach for two years and was their interim offensive coordinator to close out the 2019 season.
Statistically, Washington underachieved under Turner, never ranking higher than 20th in points scored, but he would bring play-calling experience to the Rams, which could be important to McVay.
