Chris

Shula

Shula, 39, will also interview for the Titans, Steelers, Giants, Cardinals and Raiders’ head-coaching vacancies. The Rams face the Bears’ explosive offense on Sunday, in a contest that will determine one of the two representatives in the NFC Championship Game.

The Steelers are also interviewing Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. Smart moves. Shula has worked his way up the Rams’ coaching ranks since signing on as the team’s assistant linebackers coach in 2017, serving in his current position since 2024. Shula’s 2025 defense allowed 5.2 yards per play in the regular season, the 14th lowest number in the NFL, while generating pressure at the league’s fourth-highest rate (41.1 percent).

They’re joined by the Cardinals and Raiders, adding to the initial two names of the Titans and Dolphins from over the weekend. Shula’s defense has faded down the stretch, but finished fourth in defensive DVOA during the regular season. It should not be lost on anybody that Shula is doing this despite almost no investment on that side of the ball — the Rams have the lowest defensive payroll in the NFL.

Shula, the grandson of legendary Dolphins coach Don Shula, will have a chance to bring the family full circle in Miami after his Rams ranked 17th in total defense and 10th in points allowed per game in his second season in Los Angeles. The 39-year-old defensive coach has coached with the Rams under head coach Sean McVay since 2017 after coming up at the collegiate level. He would be amongst the five youngest head coaches in the NFL should he land a head-coaching gig this offseason.

Shula led the Rams defense to a top-5 defensive DVOA rating despite being the lowest-paid defense in the NFL. It was always inevitable he’d emerge as an interview candidate this cycle. The Titans figure to be the first of many teams talking to Shula despite his team currently being in the playoffs. The Rams head to Charlotte for their Wild Card round game on Saturday.

Kingsbury, who mutually parted ways with the Commanders on Tuesday, will apparently have his choice of head coaching gigs, with the Titans and Giants lining up to interview him. Kingsbury would be an interesting fit with Lamar Jackson; he has plenty of experience coaching dual-threat QBs over his years in Arizona and Washington. Minter, meanwhile, would be the natural choice if the team is committed to getting back to its tough-nosed defensive roots. Wacker also mentioned Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, who would seem to be a long shot for the job.

Fowler previously named Chargers DC Jesse Minter and Packers DC Jeff Hafley and head coaching candidates in 2026. His list includes two new additions. Campanile is just five games into his tenure and is coming off an impressive showing against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Fowler notes that although the Jaguars “gave up yards against the Chiefs,” the defense “was highly disruptive and confused Patrick Mahomes in the biggest moment of the game,” a 99-yard pick-six from LB Devin Lloyd. We expect Campanile to remain in Jacksonville for 2026 at the very least, but the young defensive coordinator deserves credit for turning around a unit that was among the league’s worst in 2024.

The son of David and grandson of Don, Shula is perhaps most importantly now a scion of Sean McVay. The Dolphins had been circling for their DC opening as they look to replace Vic Fangio. Still only 37 years old, Shula has been with McVay since the beginning in Los Angeles, so it’s a continuity combined with upside hire. Like Brandon Staley and Raheem Morris before him, Shula comes into the job with a high floor because of perennial All-Pro game-wrecker Aaron Donald. The problem, as always, for McVay is that Shula will get poached immediately if he experiences any level of success. His fancy last name doesn’t hurt, either.

As one might have guessed, Shula is the grandson of legendary Dolphins head coach Don Shula, who holds the NFL record with 347 career wins. Shula, 37, has spent the last seven seasons with the Rams, serving primarily as a linebackers coach. He served as the pass game coordinator in 2022 and the pass rush coordinator in 2023. While he feels like a long shot to get the job relative to other candidates, Shula’s family ties to the organization make him an interesting candidate. He also received an interview for the Eagles defensive coordinator role last season.

Yes, he’s from that line of Shulas. Dave’s son and Don’s grandson. Shula played with Sean McVay at Miami and has served on his staff since 2017 as an assistant linebackers coach, linebackers coach, and pass-game coordinator/defensive backs coach last season. This is his first interview for a coordinator position that we know of. The Eagles also interviewed University of Michigan DC Jesse Minter for the job.