- Joined
- May 8, 2014
- Messages
- 39,708
Rams finalize 2022 coaching staff
Apr 06, 2022 at 12:59 PM
Stu Jackson
Staff Writer
Rams head coach Sean McVay has finalized his 2022 coaching staff.
This year's staff includes new titles for a handful of returning members:
- Thomas Brown will serve as assistant head coach/tight ends coach after spending last season as assistant head coach/running backs coach.
- Thad Bogardus will serve as outside linebackers coach after spending last season as assistant linebackers coach.
- Jonathan Cooley will serve as defensive backs coach after spending last season as assistant secondary coach.
- Zac Robinson will serve as pass game coordinator/quarterbacks coach after spending last season as assistant quarterbacks coach.
- Lance Schulters will serve as a defensive assistant after spending last season as a coaching fellow.
- Chris Shula will serve as pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach after spending last season as linebackers coach.
Here is more about each of those new hires:
Beake takes on his new role in Los Angeles after nine seasons with the Denver Broncos. Promoted to defensive pass game specialist in 2021, Beake helped guide a Denver defense that allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards per game during the regular season (214.8). The Broncos also allowed the fifth-fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL last year (22).
Beake held a variety of roles in Denver, beginning his career as a defensive quality control coach in 2013 before becoming a defensive assistant/defensive line coach from 2016-18. He returned to a defensive assistant role in 2019 and 2020. Throughout that tenure, the Broncos defense saw eight players named to a combined 20 Pro Bowl selections – including Von Miller being named to his seventh Pro Bowl in 2018 and Bradley Chubb setting a franchise rookie sack record while working with the outside linebackers. Beake also took an expanded role in 2020 while defensive coordinator Ed Donatell battled COVID-19 away from the team facility.
Black joins the Rams after spending the last two seasons as co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach for Florida A&M. He was promoted to that position in 2020 after the Rattlers improved in passing offense (232.9 yards per game in 2018 to 291.1 in 2019), team passing efficiency (128.6 in 2018 to 148.5 in 2019), and passing touchdowns (17 in 2018 to 30 in 2019) during his first season with the program in 2019, when he served as passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach. He also helped FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley earn MEAC Offensive Player of the Year that season. Black is already familiar with the Rams, having worked for them during training camp last year as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship.
The Prairie View A&M University product began his coaching career at his alma mater, first as a graduate assistant (2013-15) before becoming a full-time assistant coach with the program for four seasons (2015-18). He spent the 2015-17 seasons as PVAMU's quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator before becoming tight ends coach for the 2018 season.
Jones comes to L.A. after spending seven seasons at the college level, most recently as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for Norfolk State. Jones guided a defensive front that contributed to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference lead-tying 27 sacks last season, led by defensive lineman De'Shaan Dixon's conference-high 9.5. Defensive lineman Chris Myers finished second in the conference with 5.5.
Prior to Norfolk State, he spent three seasons at Southern University, where he mentored defensive end Jordan Lewis, a three-time All-SWAC honoree and two-time FCS All-American. During the spring 2021 season, Lewis earned SWAC Defensive Player of the Year and the Buck Buchanan Award, presented annually to the top defensive player in the nation, after leading the FCS in sacks and tackles for loss. Lewis also led the SWAC in sacks in 2018.
Olson, meanwhile, is back for his third stint with the Rams and second under head coach Sean McVay. Previously the offensive coordinator while the franchise was in St. Louis (2006-07) and later the quarterbacks coach in McVay's first season (2017), Olson rejoins the club after spending the past four seasons as the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator. In 2017, Olson helped former 2016 No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff to a breakout second NFL season – Goff completing 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
Olson's time in St. Louis was highlighted by the 2006 campaign which featured the Rams becoming only the fourth team in league history to produce a 4,000-yard passer (Marc Bulger), a 1,500 yard rusher (Steven Jackson) and a pair of 1,000-yard receivers (Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce). Bulger, Holt and Bruce were subsequently named to the Pro Bowl that year as the Rams finished with the NFL's No. 6 total offense and No. 3 passing offense.
Peetz most recently served as LSU's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, helping guide the Tigers to the No. 5 passing offense in the SEC in 2021. Quarterback Max Johnson finished seventh in the conference with 2,815 passing yards, throwing the fifth-most passing touchdowns (27) against the fifth-fewest interceptions (6, tied with two others).
While his previous stop was at the college level, he also brings 10 years of NFL experience, including coaching the Panthers running backs in 2019 during Christian McCaffrey's record-setting season and the Panthers quarterbacks in 2020. His other NFL stops include the Jaguars as a scout (2008-11) and assistant quarterbacks coach (2012), Washington Commodes as offensive quality control and assistant wide receivers coach (2014) and Oakland Raiders as a senior offensive assistant (2015), assistant quarterbacks coach (2016) and quarterbacks coach (2017).
Samples joins the Rams after spending the last three seasons on SMU's coaching staff, where he started as an offensive assistant in 2019, then was promoted to running backs coach and recruiting coordinator in 2020, followed by assistant head coach and running backs coach in 2021. During that time, he worked with Rams running back Xavier Jones, who led the FBS in rushing touchdowns (23) and was a Doak Walker semifinalist and all-conference selection in 2020.
The 27-year-old Samples began his coaching career as a student assistant at Houston (2016-17) before joining Texas' staff as an assistant wide receivers coach in 2018.
Springer joins the Rams after spending the last four seasons as a special teams coordinator at the college level, most recently at Marshall in 2021 after overseeing Arizona's specialists from 2018-20. At Marshall, Springer oversaw a special teams unit that ranked seventh in Conference USA in total kickoff return yards with 421 and also tied with Old Dominion for the most kickoff returns for touchdowns (2), including a long of 99. The Thundering Herd's 38.1 yards per kickoff return ranked fourth in the conference in 2018.
Springer replaces Dwayne Stukes, who was hired last week as the Broncos' new special teams coordinator.
2022 Rams Coaching Staff
*Denotes new to Rams coaching staff^Denotes new title entering 2022 season
Table inside Article
| Title | Name |
|---|---|
| Offensive Coordinator | Liam Coen* |
| Defensive Coordinator | Raheem Morris |
| Special Teams Coordinator | Joe DeCamillis |
| Assistant Head Coach/Tight Ends Coach | Thomas Brown^ |
| Inside Linebackers Coach | Chris Beake |
| Coaching Fellow | Kenneth Black* |
| Outside Linebackers Coach | Thad Bogardus^ |
| Offensive Line Coach | Kevin Carberry |
| Defensive Backs Coach | Jonathan Cooley^ |
| Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach | Eric Henderson |
| Offensive Assistant | Nick Jones |
| Defensive Assistant | Skyler Jones* |
| Offensive Assistant | Zak Kromer |
| Senior Offensive Assistant | Greg Olson* |
| Offensive Assistant | Jake Peetz* |
| Pass Game Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach | Zac Robinson^ |
| Running Backs Coach | Ra'Shaad Samples* |
| Defensive Assistant | Lance Schulters^ |
| Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach | Chris Shula^ |
| Special Teams Assistant | Jeremy Springer* |
| Wide Receivers Coach | Eric Yarber |
