Rams and Sean McVay disciples dominated rising stars list
Each offseason, teams around the NFL seem to want a piece of what the Los Angeles Rams have been building. Whether winning or losing, teams poach from Sean McVay’s coaching staff or take a look at the Rams’ front office.
That was no different this past offseason when the Rams lost Nick Caley to the Houston Texans. Nate Scheelhaase interviewed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for their open offensive coordinator position while James Gladstone is a candidate for their open GM position.
The question every offseason isn’t whether or not McVay will lose coaches from his staff, but rather who will he lose. It’s at the point where the Rams losing coaches is simply inevitable. After the Rams lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Divisional Playoffs, McVay joked, “I don’t know what to do with myself the fact that we’re not having to worry about losing guys to head coaching jobs this offseason. I feel a little weird right now.”
On Wednesday, The Athletic released its NFL 50 under 40 list comprised of rising coaches, executives, personalities and other personnel who significantly impact the NFL and will continue to do so in the coming decades. On that list were several coaches and executives with Rams connections. Among them were:
- Liam Coen
- Sean McVay
- Kevin O’Connell
- Aubrey Pleasant
- Zac Robinson
- Nate Scheelhaase
- Chris Shula
- Jeremy Springer
- James Gladstone
- Tony Pastoors
- John Streicher
Out of a list of 50 that included 40 coaches and executives, 11 of those have Rams connections. That’s 27.5 percent of the list. Again, this is a list that’s supposed to explore every corner of the NFL ecosystem and discover who will help mold it for years to come.
In other words,The Rams coaching tree has already begun taking over the NFL and is set to continue. Out of the 31 coaches in the NFL not named Sean McVay, five of them came from the Rams coaching staff at some point. That’s 16 percent of the league and more than any other current head coach’s coaching tree. As I’ve written before, teams wouldn’t continue to take from McVay and his staff if the results didn’t speak for themselves.
Despite losing coaches year after year, McVay seems to enjoy developing future leaders around the league. There’s a reason why last offseason he targeted Scheelhaase from Iowa State. It’s a reason why a coach like Caley was also targeted as he was thought of highly around the NFL. These are younger coaches with fresh ideas. It’s how McVay continues to grow himself and evolve his system.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see coaches like Scheelhaase and Shula earn promotion opportunities next offseason. Mike LaFleur at age 37 is another coach to keep an eye on who wasn’t included.
The NFL is a copycat league and it’s very clear that teams want to find the next Sean McVay that they can build a franchise around. While losing coaches every offseason can be frustrating, it’s also a positive sign that the Rams have something that other teams want.
