Could new addition Scott Frost be a future offensive coordinator for the Rams?
It seems like almost every offseason, the Los Angeles Rams coaching staff under head coach Sean McVay has gotten purged. Whether it’s coordinators taking head coach positions such as Kevin O’Connell, Zac Taylor, Raheem Morris, and Brandon Staley or position coaches taking coordinator job like Zac Robinson did this past offseason, everybody wants part of what the Rams are building.
While it can be frustrating to lose coaches and coordinators every single offseason, it also helps keep ideas fresh and it is part of what makes a good culture. However, that doesn’t mean that McVay can’t or shouldn’t prepare for it to happen.
Last week, the Rams made the decision to bring in Scott Frost who formerly coached Nebraska and UCF. Said McVay,
“Scott’s a guy that I’ve always really respected from afar. He came out and spent a couple of weeks with us this offseason and there’s a lot of mutual connections. Tetting a chance to see him spend time with our group and a lot of different people on our staff, it felt like a really seamless fit. He’ll help [Special Teams Coordinator] Chase [Blackburn] out with special teams, but he’ll also have involvement on offense and defense. Just to be able to get a quality caliber coach like him in the building…As you guys know, we’ve had a lot of turnover for the right reasons and you can’t have enough good quality people in-house.”
The last part of what McVay said about Frost is interesting. It’s almost as if McVay brought in Frost with the expectation that he will be losing coaches this offseason and this is a coach that he respected.
Frost may be helping initially with special teams, but as McVay noted, he’ll also be involved on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Frost played special teams when he played in the NFL as a safety and with the Rams needing help on that side of the ball after a poor showing in 2023, it makes sense for his primary role to be in that spot.
However, unless the Rams opt to move in a different direction, Blackburn will probably be back as the special teams coordinator in 2025. One coordinator who the Rams may not be as lucky with is Mike LaFleur. Going into his second year as the offensive coordinator under McVay, it’s almost expected that he will get a head coach job next year. That will especially be the case if the offense once again ranks inside the top-10.
Under McVay, the Rams have never had the same offensive coordinator for more than two years and LaFleur is going into his second season. Notably, while Frost does have some defensive coaching experience, he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon from 2013-2015.
With the Ducks, he finished every year ranked among the nation’s top six in both scoring and total offense. At UCF in 2017, Frost took Chip Kelly’s offense from Oregon and evolved it. The Knights ranked fifth in total yards while going 13-0. While his offenses weren’t as successful at Nebraska, he led the 28th ranked offense in 2018 and the 21st ranked offense in 2021. Before he got fired in 2022, the Cornhuskers were averaging 492 yards per game.
That’s not to say that Frost’s offense didn’t have problems or that he was perfect as a head coach. His tenure at Nebraska came with its fair share of drama and unprofessionalism. As noted at the time by The Athletic’s Mitch Sherman,
“He’s an undisciplined coach and the players lack discipline…Leadership has to come from the top. When adversity strikes, you bring everybody together…For too long, Frost wouldn’t look for help. It was stubbornness with him. His personality wouldn’t allow it.”
Frost’s stint with the Rams could be an attempt to heal his image and learn from one of the best.
The Rams have typically hired within when it comes to the offensive coordinator positions. The fact that McVay is making this type of hire right before the season is notable. If LaFleur were to get a head coaching job, Nick Caley or Dave Ragone would certainly be in contention. Still, this seems to be a coach that McVay clearly respects and with the departure of Chili Davis, adding Frost to the special teams staff makes sense.
With that said, Frost’s experience as an offensive coordinator is certainly worth noting. If someone like Ragone were to get promoted, Frost could potentially step in as the quarterbacks coach and be the next in line.
Throughout the McVay era, the Rams have been one of the best when it comes to developing future coaches. At this point, it’s clear that McVay is aware and the addition of Frost is a testament to that.
