The Los Angeles Rams have made a shocking in-season coaching change, firing special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Rams have fired Blackburn following Thursday night’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Blackburn being fired isn’t necessarily as surprising as the overall timing. While it was somewhat expected that the Rams would look to move on from the third-year special teams coach following the season, a change with just two weeks left to play in the regular season exemplifies where the Rams special teams unit is currently. This marks the first in-season coordinator change from head coach Sean McVay.
An argument can be made that Blackburn should have been fired following a 2023 season in which the Rams had one of the worst special teams units in NFL history. However, Blackburn likely should have been let go over a month ago. The Rams have four losses this season and special teams have played a role in three of them.
The expectation now is that the Rams will turn to assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica for the remainder of the season. Kotwica has 10 years of experience as a special teams coordinator in the NFL. Most recently Kotwica was with the Denver Broncos in 2023 and 2024.
Special teams has consistently been an issue for the Rams in the McVay era. However, as bad as things have gotten at times, McVay has never made a coaching change in-season. With the Rams sitting at 11-4 and a top-10 offense and defense, they can’t continue to lose games due to special teams. McVay firing Blackburn at this point of the season shows how dire a change was needed.
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