The Los Angeles Rams have their Raheem Morris replacement, and they didn't have to look far to find him. Per NFL Media, the Rams are promoting pass rush coordinator and linebackers coach Chris Shula to defensive coordinator.
Shula, the grandson of the late Hall of Fame coach Don Shula, was also reportedly in consideration for the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator job. The 37-year-old defensive assistant has spent the last seven seasons with L.A., primarily working with linebackers. In 2022, he had defensive backs coach in his title. A teammate of McVay at Miami University (Ohio), Shula was part of the Rams' 2021 Super Bowl-winning staff, and also spent two years as the Chargers' defensive quality control coach from 2015-2016.
His grandfather, Don, was one of the most accomplished head coaches in NFL history. A two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Coach of the Year, he spent 26 seasons running the Dolphins from 1970-1995 and still owns the most career wins (328) of all time. The first coach to appear in six different Super Bowls, he also oversaw the only perfect season (1972) in league history.
The elder Shula was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997 and died at the age of 90 in 2020. His NFL ties continue to this day; his son, Dave, who is also Chris' father, was the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach from 1992-1996, and his other son, Mike, currently works for the Buffalo Bills as a senior offensive assistant.
