According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, the Baltimore Ravens requested an interview with Los Angeles Rams defense coordinator Chris Shula.
Shula, 39 years old, has been with the Rams ever since Sean McVay’s hiring in 2017. He spent the first eight years of his career in Los Angeles as a defensive assistant, beginning as an assistant to linebackers and rising up to become a pass rush coordinator and defender. In 2024 he was promoted as defensive coordinator, replacing Raheem Moris, who became the Falcons’ head coach.
Shula was the first name that came to my mind when I thought about possible dark horses for the Ravens head coaching job. What I said shortly after John Harbaugh was fired:
Chris Shula, Rams defensive coordinator, has spent the past nine seasons working under Sean McVay. He made a strong debut in 2024 with a top-five defence this year. He is also the grandson to legendary coach Don Shula. The elder Shula, best known for his perfect 1972 Dolphins season, also coached for seven years the Baltimore Colts. Between his defensive credentials, McVay’s coaching tree and a last-name that the Ravens would value, he may be a dark horse.
Under Shula, the Rams’ defense was good but not exceptional. The Rams defense is largely constructed from the defensive lines outwards, with a core of OLBs Jared Verse & Byron Young & DTs Braden FIsk & Kobie Turner. Shula was instrumental in the development of this unit, not only for their individual successes but also their cohesiveness.
Shula’s experience under McVay has also been a positive one. He has access to the best offensive coaching tree in the NFL, and he’s also learned from its most successful leaders. McVay has not only been a genius at designing plays, but he’s also developed his assistant coaches to be strong leaders.
Hiring a defensive coordinator with only two years of experience as the head coach of a Super Bowl-bound team could be risky. McVay is known for his coaching success, but not all of the coaches who worked with him have been successful elsewhere.