Since Sean McVay became the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams back in 2017, fans of the franchise have had to watch coordinators walk out the door to pursue head coaching opportunities.
Coordinators under McVay who went of to receive an NFL head coaching job include Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Brandon Staley, Raheem Morris and the man who's offense Shula will be going up against on Monday, Kevin O'Connell.
While defensive coordinator Chris Shula hasn't been interviewed yet, NFL general managers across the country are focused on what Shula does against Minnesota and their star-studded offense. In an era of pass-first offenses, shutting down star receivers get coaches head jobs, just ask Lions DC Aaron Glenn. Glenn already had a lot of momentum behind him receiving a head coaching job but his defense's performance last Sunday night shutting down Justin Jefferson has virtually guaranteed it.
One NFL executive told Los Angeles Rams on Sports Illustrated exclusively, "Chris is a rising star. He might be one or two coaching cycles away from landing a head coaching gig, but being with Sean (McVay) will only continue to make his stock rise. It's not a matter of if he gets a head coaching job, it's simply a question of when."
Currently, the Raiders, Saints, Patriots, Jaguars, Jets and Bears have head coaching vacancies. While Glenn, Lions OC Ben Johnson and former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel are expected to be the popular names this hiring cycle, a deep playoff run could accelerate Shula's head coaching timeline as it did for Cardinals' head coach Jonathan Gannon after his hiring occurred after the Eagles made the Super Bowl two years ago.
Many people around the league are impressed with what Shula has done with a remarkably young defense. They are also impressed by the performances by the Rams' day three rookies and UDFA's such as Jaylen McCollough, Omar Speights and Kamren Kinchens. However, something that has struck NFL front offices was the seamless transition from the Rams' pass rush unit going from Aaron Donald to Braden Fiske. Fiske finished the season as the rookie sack leader.
Shula looks to be a third-generation head coach. His father Dave was the Bengals head coach from 1992 to 1996 and his legendary Hall of Fame grandfather Don Shula is the NFL's All-Time winningest head coach with 328 wins. He was the Colts head coach from 1963-1969 and the Dolphins head coach from 1970-1995, winning two Super Bowls with Miami. Don Shula's 1972 Dolphins are the only undefeated team in NFL history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/rams/ as EXCLUSIVE: NFL Executive Pegs Rams' Chris Shula As Future Coaching Star.