Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley were recently named as legitimate head coaching candidates in the 2026 cycle. Rams DC Chris Shula is another defensive-minded coach who appears to have a real shot at leading his own club next year.
Per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Shula has the attention of NFL front offices and is considered a “prime candidate” for an HC gig. The grandson of NFL coaching legend Don Shula has earned that status by working his way up the coaching ladder under Sean McVay.
Now 39, Chris Shula landed his first NFL position with the Chargers in 2015, when he served as a defensive quality control coach for the club. He joined McVay’s first Rams staff in 2017 as an assistant linebackers coach, and he remained a prominent voice in the LB room until 2022, when he was named pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach. He resumed working with LBs in 2023 and also worked as the team’s pass rush coordinator before getting his first crack at DC last season.
McVay needed to fill that post after Raheem Morris left to become the Falcons’ head coach, and candidates like Brandon Staley – who previously worked as McVay’s defensive coordinator in 2020 – and Ron Rivera were considered. But the Rams were reportedly blown away by Shula’s interview, and the team did not allow him to meet with the Dolphins to discuss Miami’s DC opening.
In Shula’s first year in charge of the Rams’ defense, the team finished in the middle of the pack in terms of points per game and in the bottom-10 with respect to yards per game. Still, Shula’s unit allowed nine points or fewer from Weeks 15 to 17, and Los Angeles also limited the Vikings to nine points in the wildcard round of the playoffs.
Through the first two weeks of the current season, the Rams have conceded just one touchdown and 14 points per game. Of course, those games came against the Texans and Titans, two clubs that look as if they could struggle to score in 2025. But sustained success this year will apparently make Shula a hot commodity in January.
Basically, anyone can be anonymously named a “prime candidate” for anything if they hire the right publicity agent :)