The Los Angeles Rams are once again dealing with a coaching overhaul in the 2026 offseason. Although he lost several key members of his staff, Sean McVay made a big splash by hiring former Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.
McVay added Kingsbury in February, one month after his shocking release from the Commanders. Many assumed Kingsbury would become the Rams' offensive coordinator, but that job went to former passing game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase. McVay confirmed that Kingsbury will instead join the team as an assistant head coach.
McVay admitted that the coaching staff changes are “different,” but he still expects improvement ahead of his 10th season at the helm.
“What's intriguing about it is it's been different from what we've done,” McVay said, via Nate Atkins of ‘The Athletic.' “And just because it's different doesn't mean it can't be better.”
McVay will still call the plays while Scheelhasse manages the offense, Atkins reported.
Kingsbury is widely viewed as one of the best offensive minds in the NFL. He flamed out as a head coach, but he turned the Commanders around in his first year as offensive coordinator, making his recent firing appear hasty to many.
Kingsbury inherited a Commanders offense that finished 25th in scoring the previous season and improved it to fifth in 2024. The numbers took a nosedive in 2025, but the 46-year-old was dealt a difficult hand with Jayden Daniels, Austin Ekeler and Terry McLaurin out for the majority of the season.
McVay now gives Kingsbury a new position with the Rams in his seventh season as an NFL coach. He was previously an offensive analyst with USC in 2023, head coach of the Arizona Cardinals from 2019 to 2022 and head coach at Texas Tech from 2013 to 2018.
