Giants QB Jaxson Dart Believed Saints Might Draft Him With No. 9 Pick
The Saints were heavily connected to quarterback Jaxson Dart in the run-up to this year’s draft, as the club hosted the Ole Miss product on a “30” visit and did extensive work on him. But New Orleans, which held the No. 9 overall pick, did not consider any quarterback in this year’s class outside of Cam Ward worthy of that selection, and the groundwork the team laid for a potential trade-up into the latter stages of the first round or the early portion of the second round did not produce a deal.
Instead, the Giants selected Dart with the No. 25 overall pick, which they obtained by trading back into the first round after using their No. 3 overall selection on EDGE Abdul Carter. New York head coach Brian Daboll grew fonder of Dart as the draft process went on, and Dart put together a promising training camp and preseason slate. Making his regular season debut in Week 4, he flashed in helping the Giants secure an upset win over the Chargers, Big Blue’s first victory of the campaign.
The Saints ultimately used their No. 40 choice on Louisville passer Tyler Shough, who recently turned 26 but who saw his draft stock rise in the late winter and early spring despite his age. However, New Orleans elected to open the season with 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler as its QB1, and while Rattler’s surface-level statistics are not terrible, the team has struggled to an 0-4 record.
In making his second career start in Week 5, Dart will have a chance to show the Saints what they missed, as New Orleans will host Dart’s Giants. He appears to be looking forward to that opportunity.
Given the pre-draft work the Saints did on Dart, the signal-caller believed he had a good chance to hear his name called when New Orleans was on the clock with the No. 9 selection (via Dan Duggan of The Athletic). Dart acknowledged that being passed over put a chip on his shoulder.
Of course, it is much too soon to tell what will become of Dart’s and Shough’s careers. It could be that the Saints’ new coaching staff is simply allowing its rookie passer – who has just two pass attempts thus far, both of which came towards the tail end of a blowout loss in Week 3 – to slowly acclimate to the professional level in an obvious transitional year, while Daboll’s shaky job security may have been at least partially responsible for his decision to insert Dart into the starting lineup.
Even so, a strong Dart performance and a Giants win will not do much to assuage any angst in New Orleans.
Bengals Have Not Made Trade Inquiries On QBs, Intend To Keep Jake Browning As Starter
The Bengals did not seek a trade for a veteran QB following Joe Burrow’s toe injury – which will keep Burrow sidelined until sometime in December – and we recently heard there is leaguewide skepticism that the club will change its modus operandi in terms of in-season trade activity (Cincy has only acquired two players via in-season trade over the past 53 years). The latest reporting on the matter suggests that skepticism is well-founded.
Multiple sources tell Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports they would be surprised if there are any quarterback trades at all in advance of the November 4 deadline, given the complexity of the QB position and all that it entails. An assistant GM told Vacchiano the only team he believes would even consider such a move is the Bengals, considering Jake Browning’s pronounced struggles in relief of Burrow.
Although Browning was able to guide his team to a win in Week 2 (the game in which Burrow sustained his injury), he did throw three picks in that contest. In his two starts since, he has completed a combined 33 of 52 passes for 265 yards for one touchdown and two more interceptions. The Bengals lost both games by a combined score of 76-13, and they did not cross midfield during the final three quarters of their loss to the Broncos in Week 4.
Nonetheless, Vacchiano says there is still no indication Cincinnati has looked into a quarterback trade. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears the same, and he writes that the club’s past success with Browning at the helm – Browning posted a 4-3 record when filling in for Burrow in 2023 – has them prepared to move forward with the Washington product for the foreseeable future.
In a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (video link) says Falcons QB Kirk Cousins could probably adjust quickly to the Bengals’ offense due to his familiarity with head coach Zac Taylor’s type of scheme, but Cousins’ contract – which already includes a locked-in $10MM in 2026 – remains prohibitive. Recently-demoted Giants QB Russell Wilson could make sense from a cost perspective, but like Cousins, there has been no outside interest in Wilson as of yet, from the Bengals or any other club.
If Cincy sticks to their Browning plan, and if Browning does not improve, the 2-2 team could soon be 2-5 (the Bengals’ next three games are against the Lions, Packers, and Steelers). And, if that should happen, Pelissero logically predicts that rival teams will consider the Bengals deadline sellers and will begin calling about their logical trade candidates (which likely would include DE Trey Hendrickson).
Eagles WRs A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith Frustated By Role In Offense; Team Does Not Plan To Trade Brown
The Eagles’ top two wide receivers, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, are frustrated with their role in Philadelphia’s offense, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required). While confirming Brown’s frustrations, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report that the team has no intention of trading the three-time Pro Bowler (which echoes Russini’s report from last month, in which she noted that Philadelphia shot down offseason trade inquiries into Brown).
Though the defending Super Bowl champions are off to a 4-0 start, Rapoport and Garafolo say that promising record has been “highly scrutinized” due to the nature of the club’s offense (the Eagles rank 30th in yards per game, though they are seventh in points per game). As a league source told Russini, “[r]ight now, for the Eagles, it’s run, run, run, (Jalen) Hurts off-schedule pass, tush push. For their receivers, that means when they get to the red zone, they aren’t getting the ball — and they know it. Hence the frustrations.”
While Smith has remained quiet, Brown has been more open about his dissatisfaction. Shortly after the team’s Week 4 victory over the Bucs, he posted the following scripture to his X account: “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way” (via NFL.com’s Nick Shook).
During a media session on Wednesday, Brown offered clarity on the post.
“First off, I want to start off by saying, obviously, Sunday after the game I let my frustrations boil over,” he said (via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “I didn’t speak to the media. I had a chance to correct my frustrations and I continued to let it boil over and that’s on me. I take full accountability on that.”
He went on to say that the message was not directed at anyone in particular, including his general manager, head coach, or quarterback. However, he also added, “I don’t think it’s a bad thing for wanting the ball.”
As a rival head coach told Russini, Brown is likely not frustrated by the number of targets he has received (28 through four games), but rather the type of targets and the situation they come in.
Brown seemed to confirm as much on Wednesday, saying, “[i]t’s not just for targets or anything, to put numbers up, no. I see that we’re struggling, and I’m a guy that wants the ball in those times when we can’t find a way. Give it to me. When the game’s on the line, give the ball to me.”
That is what happened when the Eagles were trailing 26-7 in their comeback win over the Rams. As Philadelphia fought its way back into the game, Hurts threw contested balls to Brown that resulted in completions, and Brown ended the game with six catches for 109 yards and a score. In the team’s other three contests combined, the Ole Miss product has tallied eight receptions for 42 scoreless yards.
Of course, the Eagles have a new offensive coordinator in Kevin Patullo, and Brown missed a significant portion of training camp due to a hamstring injury. The Rapoport/Garafolo duo thinks Hurts will try to get Brown the ball early and often in the Eagles’ Week 5 bout against the Broncos, and Russini likewise believes Patullo could try to script plays for both Brown and Smith early in games. She also says GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni have had private conversations with Brown in an effort to manage the situation.
Obviously, a happy and productive tandem at the top of their WR depth chart will go a long way towards the Eagles’ efforts to repeat. That is why the team does not plan to entertain trade inquiries on Brown (the same may be true of Smith, though Rapoport and Garafolo do not mention him in their report).
If the team did consider moving Brown, sources tell Rapoport and Garafolo he could fetch a monster package similar to the one the Cowboys recently landed for star edge rusher Micah Parsons. And Russini reports rival executives are monitoring the situation, believing Roseman could change his stance.
“They are paying roughly $50 million to two wide receivers (Brown and Smith), and they aren’t even that involved,” one GM told Russini. “They may move on simply because Philly is a run-heavy team.”
For his part, Brown says he does not want to leave Philly.
“This is my home, you know? I did it to myself,” he said. “But this is my home, man. I love it here. But you just see frustration because obviously we want to be great and most definitely I want to be great, as well.”
As the rival GM referenced above noted, both Brown and Smith are on high-end contracts. Brown is under club control through 2029, while Smith’s current deal expires after the 2028 season.
Giants Brass Did Not Oppose Jaxson Dart Promotion; Latest On HC Brian Daboll
A report earlier this week noted that Giants head coach Brian Daboll did not consult his coaching staff or team execs in making a seminal starting quarterback switch from Russell Wilson to first-round rookie Jaxson Dart. It would be easy to read that report and infer some sort of disconnect between Daboll and his fellow coaches and/or team brass, but apparently that is not the case.
As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (subscription required) observes, depth chart configurations are always the HC’s responsibility, and in this instance, neither GM Joe Schoen nor co-owner John Mara offered any dissent to Daboll’s decision. Nor did they force the move, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic (subscription required).
According to Russini, some objections to the change were raised, but she does not specify who made those objections. And now, she says, the entire organization is backing the head coach and his young signal-caller, though Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News, who believes Daboll has summoned Dart in an effort to save his own job, describes the locker room’s response as “tepid” (while acknowledging the players support Dart personally).
Russini says several players on both sides of the ball, including team captains, contacted Dart as soon as the decision was announced to let him know he has their support. Likewise, third-stringer Jameis Winston has spent hours with Dart and ran through game scripts with him after practice until the rookie mastered them. And although Wilson is reportedly now considered a trade candidate — which Dan Duggan of The Athletic is skeptical of, given Wilson’s 2025 performance and his limited market this offseason — Schwartz says the organization believes Dart will benefit from continuing to be around the 36-year-old passer, who handled his demotion with the type of maturity the team expected.
Interestingly, Russini says the Giants considered naming Dart the starter after their Week 1 loss to the Commanders, and Schwartz says Dart would have started from the jump if New York did not have a veteran option with Wilson’s pedigree on the roster. While Schoen had previously voiced his hope that Wilson would stay in the QB1 role for some time, that was because such a development would have meant Wilson was playing well enough to merit the job.
Of course, Wilson’s performance did not prevent Daboll, whose job security is tenuous at best, from inserting the player he pushed for in the draft into the starting lineup. Despite a gaudy stat line in a Week 2 loss to the Cowboys – which was aided in large part by Dallas’ porous secondary – Schwartz says Wilson’s inability to consistently find the endzone was one of the triggers for his benching, along with the team’s belief that he was too quick to scramble instead of going through his progressions when he felt pressure.
Schwartz adds that a fourth quarter sequence at the end of Big Blue’s Week 3 loss to the Chiefs may have been Wilson’s final straw. In a first-and-goal situation at Kansas City’s 4-yard line, Wilson was flagged for intentional grounding on first down, ran for four yards on second down, and made non-competitive throws on third and fourth down.
Regardless of the impetus for the decision, Dart is now tasked with saving the Giants’ season and, perhaps, the New York futures of Daboll and Schoen. Even if he cannot do that — indeed, Leonard believes Daboll could be fired if his troops do not play well against the Chargers in Week 4 — he can still cement his status as the team’s long-term option at quarterback.
Seahawks CB Riq Woolen Viewed As Trade Candidate
Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen was a surprise success story in 2022, as the fifth-round rookie led the NFL with six interceptions and earned Pro Bowl honors while finishing third – behind top-five selections Sauce Gardner and Aidan Hutchinson – in Defensive Rookie of the Year balloting. Now, however, it is unclear whether he will even play out the final year of his rookie deal with the team that drafted him.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, rival clubs believe Woolen can be obtained via trade in advance of the November 4 deadline. And there are several reasons for that.
One, Seattle’s best corner, Devon Witherspoon, returned after a two-game injury absence to play a full complement of defensive snaps in the Seahawks’ Thursday night victory over the Cardinals. Although Woolen played 92.5% of the team’s snaps in the win, Witherspoon’s return and the emergence of fellow corners Josh Jobe and Derion Kendrick – an August waiver claim who played well in Witherspoon’s stead in Weeks 2 and 3 – could push Woolen down the depth chart.
While Rapoport’s report says Woolen’s playing time has diminished, NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack clarifies that the 26-year-old’s usage is expected to decrease moving forward. Indeed, ESPN’s Brady Henderson reported in the wake of Seattle’s Week 1 loss to the 49ers that Woolen’s status as a starting corner was up in the air.
In that contest, Woolen misplayed two throws on San Francisco’s game-winning drive, and he has not rebounded in the ensuing three games. Pro Football Focus has assigned him an abysmal 40.1 coverage grade for his work over the first four weeks of the campaign, and he has already committed six penalties. That comes on the heels of a 2024 season in which he also made costly errors late in games.
Woolen is surrendering a generous 106.7 QB rating as the closest defender in 2025. Jobe, by contrast, is giving up a meager 40.4 QB rating, and he secured an interception in the losing effort in Week 1. On the strength of his strong but limited sample size, Kendrick is currently ranked as PFF’s second-best corner.
It seems Woolen has not taken to head coach Mike Macdonald’s scheme, and a change of scenery could be a welcome development for both player and team. As Rapoport notes, the impending return of second-round rookie Nick Emmanwori will further crowd Seattle’s DB group. Emmanwori, who suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 1, is expected back in Week 5.
Any acquiring team would have exclusive negotiating rights with Woolen until the start of the legal tampering period in March, which would obviously be attractive to a club that believes it can engineer a return to top form for the UTSA product.
49ers Hosted DB Shilo Sanders
While Browns QB Shedeur Sanders is still awaiting his first snap in a regular season NFL game, his older brother, Shilo Sanders, is simply trying to get back into the league. Per Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, Shilo worked out for the 49ers earlier this week.
Shilo, a defensive back, signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in May. Of course, he and Shedeur spent four collegiate seasons together, first at Jackson State and then at Colorado, all under head coach/father/NFL icon Deion Sanders. While Shedeur’s draft stock was one of the preeminent storylines of this offseason, Shilo’s NFL future largely flew under the radar.
Facing the same uphill battle that all UDFAs encounter, Shilo did not help his cause by getting flagged for pass interference and being ejected for throwing a punch in the Bucs’ preseason finale. The club ultimately waived him during final cutdowns at the end of August and elected against bringing him back to the practice squad after he cleared waivers.
Shilo’s visit with San Francisco is the first time he has received publicly-reported interest since Tampa Bay waived him. The Niners were apparently looking for secondary/special teams depth, as they also hosted fellow DBs Brandon Joseph and Jaylen Mahoney at the same time, per Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports. The team ultimately added Mahoney – who saw action in three games with San Francisco last year – to the taxi squad, leaving Shilo to continue looking for an NFL employer.
Should he choose to explore a football career north of the border, he may have such an opportunity. As JC Abbott of 3DownNation.com writes, the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League added Shilo to their negotiation list, just as they did with Shedeur earlier this year.
As a reminder, being on a CFL club’s negotiation list does not mean a player has expressed an interest in playing for that club, or even playing in the CFL at all. It merely means that the team will have the first opportunity to sign the player should he ever attempt to play in the league.
Falcons OC Zac Robinson Expected To Be A Top Choice For OSU’s Head Coaching Job
In December, we learned Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson would have been Oklahoma State’s top choice to replace head coach Mike Gundy if Gundy had not accepted a contract restructure to remain with the program. Now, after back-to-back embarrassing defeats, Gundy is out as Oklahoma State’s HC, and Robinson is again on the radar.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Robinson is on the “very short list” of candidates for Gundy’s job, which Gundy held for over 20 seasons. Now 38, Robinson played collegiately under Gundy, serving as OSU’s starting quarterback from 2007-09. One of Robinson’s former college teammates, Dez Bryant, quickly took to social media after Gundy’s ouster to advocate for Robinson as the long-time coach’s replacement.
Rapoport makes clear that, as of the time of his report, there has been no contact between Robinson and OSU, which has hired a search firm to aid in its quest for its next permanent head coach. And even if the search takes an expected turn in Robinson’s direction, there could be complications.
For instance, although national signing day is not until February, most high school stars commit to colleges in December, at which point the Falcons’ season will still be ongoing. So while Robinson could hire a staff to do the bulk of the recruiting work, he would be pulling double duty for a time, and the recruits may not have as much contact with their prospective head coach as they would like.
The situation would be difficult, but not unprecedented. As Rapoport points out, then-Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis charted a similar course when he was hired as Notre Dame’s head coach during the 2004 season (of course, the collegiate landscape has changed dramatically over the last two decades).
For now, Robinson will attempt to get the Falcons’ offense and second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. back on track. After a solid Week 1 effort against the Bucs, Penix has completed 31 of 57 passes (54.4% completion rate) for 307 yards and zero touchdowns against two interceptions in his last two games combined. The team was blanked in a 30-0 drubbing at the hands of the Panthers in Week 3.
It is unclear what an inability to right the ship will do to Robinson’s status with OSU, though it will obviously damage his NFL stock. Like many Sean McVay disciples, Robinson became a popular name in coaching circles not long after he joined McVay’s Rams staff as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019. He attracted OC interest from the Chargers and Ravens in 2023 and was one of the most popular names in the 2024 cycle, drawing OC interview requests from the Bucs, Bears, Patriots, Raiders, Saints, and Steelers in addition to the Falcons.
In his first year in charge of the Atlanta offense, which was quarterbacked first by Kirk Cousins and then by Penix, Robinson’s unit finished sixth in yards per game and 13th in points per game.
Steelers No Longer Considering Tyreek Hill Trade
It did not take long for Tyreek Hill trade rumors, which swirled throughout the early stages of the offseason, to resurface. Shortly after the Dolphins’ brutal 33-8 loss to the Colts in Week 1, a report indicated the Chiefs and Steelers were eyeing a potential trade for Miami’s talented but mercurial wideout.
Pittsburgh has removed itself from the Hill sweepstakes, at least for now. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the club is concerned that the latest round of domestic violence allegations against Hill – his estranged wife, Keeta Vaccaro, has accused Hill of eight separate violent acts against her, some of which took place while she was pregnant – could result in a suspension.
Those allegations came to light just one day after the Indianapolis loss, and Florio’s prior report on the matter implied the Steelers’ interest in Hill spawned prior to the accusations. It is therefore no surprise that the team will not entertain a move for the 31-year-old wideout until there is more clarity on this off-field situation.
That may well be the case for any club interested in acquiring Hill. However, the trade deadline is not until November 4. By that point, teams may feel comfortable that Hill will be able to avoid a suspension at least for the remainder of the 2025 season and will thus be amenable to swinging a deal.
After all, Hill profiles as an obvious trade candidate. Although he is under contract through 2026, he is due $36MM in total compensation and carries an untenable $51.9MM cap charge next year. Florio confirms Hill will likely be cut by March if he remains with the ‘Fins through the end of the current season, so if the Dolphins – who are currently 0-3 and looking like an obvious seller – are unable to engineer a dramatic turnaround, they will surely consider a trade.
Through the first three games of the season, Hill has recorded 15 catches for 198 yards and a score. The Steelers apparently have interest in pairing his talents with another trade acquisition, D.K. Metcalf, and just as Miami’s status as sellers or otherwise will be solidified by early November, so too will Pittsburgh’s status as legitimate playoff contender or possible also-ran.
Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross Willing To Be Patient With HC Mike McDaniel; Latest On GM Chris Grier, Team’s Culture Changes
Earlier this month, a report came to light indicating that Dolphins general manager Chris Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel may not retain their jobs through the end of the current season. Prior to the club’s loss to the Bills on Thursday, Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe of the NFL Network said owner Stephen Ross was willing to be patient with McDaniel (the same may be true of Grier, though neither pundit substantively mentioned him in their reports).
Rapoport said Ross likes and believes in McDaniel and does not want to fire him (to say nothing of last year’s extension that tethered the HC to the organization through 2028). As such, a McDaniel dismissal is not imminent (video link).
Rapoport acknowledges that Ross’ stance could change in a hurry if fans stop showing up to games or if McDaniel’s players stop playing hard for him. Fan discontent was on full display before Miami’s Week 2 loss to the Patriots in the form of a banner reading “FIRE GRIER. FIRE MCDANIEL.” borne by a small aircraft flying above Hard Rock Stadium. However, according to Wolfe, Dolphins players were not panicked about their disappointing start to the campaign and had not quit on their coach (video link).
That said, the players did express frustration and concern to Wolfe, and losing the Buffalo contest to fall to 0-3 surely did not assuage those feelings. Again, the Rapoport and Wolfe reports preceded the game, and while Wolfe said even a loss to the Bills would not change Ross’ immediate plans with respect to McDaniel, it is fair to wonder how long the patience will last.
Underscoring all of this is the cultural change that Grier and McDaniel tried to implement this season. In a long-form piece on the matter that will be of particular interest to ‘Fins fans, ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques says the club has attempted to improve the culture within the team facility since the 2024 campaign came to an end.
Part of those efforts included a focus on “player-driven accountability,” and McDaniel told his team after the 2024 season finale that anyone who took issue with that notion could simply say as much, and that the club would look to trade or release them. Indeed, multiple sources said tardiness for, and absences from, team meetings was a significant problem last year.
Jalen Ramsey and Tyreek Hill, both team captains in 2024, were reportedly among the repeat offenders, and a current Dolphins player said the high-profile duo took advantage of their captaincy and used it as justification for their poor attendance record. Sources said Ramsey in particular was a “drain” on morale – he would show up late to team activities and even leave practice while it was ongoing – and Hill famously took himself out of Miami’s last game of the season.
Hill, who did not deny missing meetings or arriving late to meetings and practice, is still with the team despite trade rumblings early in the offseason, though Ramsey was traded to the Steelers in June. Grier’s recent comments on the Ramsey deal suggest there is at least some truth to the allegations concerning the player’s lack of accountability, and while Grier indicated back in April that the club and Ramsey mutually agreed to seek a trade partner, one source told Louis-Jacques that the move was actually driven by the team.
Interestingly, a former Dolphins player who worked under McDaniel said the lateness/absence issues were not new developments in 2024. Instead, they only became problematic when the losses began to pile up.
“Everyone was fine with cutting meetings, cutting practice when they’re winning, but once you’re losing, it’s like now you can’t get mad at that,” the player said. “You were just enjoying it when you were winning.”
Multiple sources said the disregard for timeliness and attendance reflected a lack of respect for McDaniel, who was reluctant to take action other than imposing fines (which McDaniel himself later conceded did not do much to change behavior). One source said McDaniel has been more willing to publicly admonish players this year, though the comments regarding lack of respect last season will not help the HC’s cause.
Only six teams have qualified for the postseason after an 0-3 start, and the last team to accomplish that feat was the 2018 Texans. A source familiar with Ross’ thinking said Grier’s and McDaniel’s job security will not depend exclusively on whether the Dolphins defy the odds and make the playoffs, and the team did put up competitive showings against the Patriots and Bills following a Week 1 blowout loss to the Colts.
Still, Louis-Jacques and Wolfe made reference to the comments Ross offered just hours after the 2024 season ended, when the owner said, “I believe in the value of stability. However, continuity in leadership is not to be confused with an acceptance that status quo is good enough.”
Even though a source told Louis-Jacques that Ross’ remarks with respect to the status quo pertained more to process than results, the ESPN scribe notes there is a limit to Ross’ patience with undesirable results. In other words, Grier and McDaniel may need their team to start winning immediately to preserve their futures in South Beach.
Rams DC Chris Shula “Prime Candidate” For HC Job In 2026
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.