The Baltimore Ravens have requested an interview with Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Shula, 39, has worked for the Rams since Sean McVay was hired in 2017. He spent his first eight years in Los Angeles in various defensive assistant roles, starting as an assistant linebackers coach and eventually rising to pass rush coordinator and linebackers. In 2024, he was promoted to defensive coordinator to replace Raheem Morris, who took the Falcons
head coaching gig.
Shula was one of the first names that came to mind when thinking about potential dark horse candidates for the Ravens’ head coaching gig. Here’s what I had to say shortly after the team fired John Harbaugh:
Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula has also spent the last nine seasons under Sean McVay with a solid debut in 2024 and a top-five defense this year. He is also is the grandson of legendary coach Don Shula. Best known for the Dolphins’ perfect 1972 season, the elder Shula also coached the Baltimore Colts for seven years. So between his defensive credentials, access to McVay’s coaching tree, and a last name that the Ravens will value, he could be a dark horse candidate.
The Rams defense has been good, but not elite under Shula. The unit is largely built from the defensive line outwards with a core four of OLBs Jared Verse and Byron Young and DTs Braden Fisk and Kobie Turner. Shula has been instrumental not just in their individual success, but their development as a cohesive unit.
Shula’s time under McVay also has multiple positives. Not only does he have access to one of the NFL’s best offensive coaching trees, he has also learned from one of its top leaders. McVay is not just a schematic genius; he has also focused on developing his assistant coaches into strong leaders in their own right.
Still, hiring a two-year defensive coordinator as head coach of a team with immediate Super Bowl aspirations could be a risk. While McVay’s coaching tree is lauded for its successes, not every coach that spent time with him has thrived elsewhere.
