Kliff Kingsbury agreed to join the Rams’ coaching staff on Feb. 6, but his specific role was not publicized for over two weeks. The Rams announced Monday that Kingsbury will work as an assistant head coach.
Kingsbury is officially returning to Southern California three years after serving as an offensive analyst at USC. After coaching star quarterback Caleb Williams that year, the former Cardinals head coach returned to the NFL as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in 2024.
The Bears chose Williams first overall in the 2024 draft. Kingsbury wound up helping the No. 2 pick, Jayden Daniels, to an otherworldly rookie campaign. Not only did the dual-threat signal-caller earn Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, but he guided the Commanders to the NFC title game. Philadelphia steamrolled Washington that day, 55-23, and the Commanders did not bounce back last season.
With Daniels and No. 1 wide receiver Terry McLaurin battling injuries that cost them a combined 17 games, the Commanders’ offense plummeted from fifth in scoring to 22nd in the matter of a year. The team reversed its record from 12-5 to 5-12, and Kingsbury reportedly clashed with Commanders general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn along the way.
Kingsbury and the Commanders went their separate ways Jan. 6, but he drew plenty of interest in the month before he agreed to partner up with McVay. The 46-year-old interviewed for head coaching vacancies in Baltimore and Tennessee. He also talked to those two teams and the Giants about their offensive coordinator openings.
Brian Johnson, Kingsbury’s colleague in Washington, will rejoin him on Los Angeles’ staff. After two years as the Commanders’ assistant head coach/offensive pass-game coordinator, he’ll serve as a senior offensive assistant.
The Rams’ offensive staff will also include one of their former wide receivers, Robert Woods. A highly successful Ram from 2017-21, Woods retired from playing on Feb. 17. The 33-year-old will now reunite with McVay, who’s bringing Woods aboard as an assistant WRs coach.
McVay also hired former Rams offensive lineman Brian Allen, one of Woods’ old teammates, as an assistant OL coach. The 30-year-old Allen played his entire career as a member of the Rams, with whom he started in 32 of 50 games from 2018-23. He was the Rams’ No. 1 center on their Super Bowl-winning 2021 team.
In other adjustments to his offensive staff, McVay promoted WRs coach Eric Yarber to senior offensive assistant/WRs and upgraded Rob Calabrese from offensive asssistant to WRs coach. Jimmy Lake will move from senior defensive assistant to pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach, while Michael Hunter will come in as an assistant DBs coach. Hunter held that job at Ohio State over the past two seasons.
Lake’s promotion suggests the Rams will not retain Aubrey Pleasant, who is no longer listed among their coaches. It’s unclear why the sides appear to have parted ways.
Pleasant first worked for McVay as the Rams’ cornerbacks coach from 2017-20. After dividing the next two seasons between Detroit and Green Bay, he returned to the Rams in 2023. Pleasant was their pass-game coordinator/DBs coach in 2024. He continued to handle the PGC role last season, but McVay also bumped him to assistant head coach.
Pleasant landed D-coordinator interviews with the Cardinals, Browns, Raiders and Chargers earlier this winter. Those teams hired different candidates instead, but perhaps he’ll take an assistant position with one of them or some other club.
Cool to see Woods join the Rams’ staff. Cooper Kupp was just talking about how much Woods helped him become a pro. He certainly has a lot of knowledge of what it means to be a receiver for McVay.