Rams To Hire Former Chargers Interim Head Coach Giff Smith to Staff

The Los Angeles Rams recently promoted Chris Shula to defensive coordinator. They added veteran coach Giff Smith to be one of his assistant coaches.

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has never shied away from having veteran defensive minds on his staff. He famously brought Wade Phillips on to his first staff to take watch over the defense. After Brandon Staley’s short stint, McVay would return to another long-time coach, Raheem Morris.

Now that Morris has left to be the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, McVay turned to a mind a decade younger. Linebacker coach Chris Shula is Los Angeles’ newest defensive coordinator, and while he lacks some of the experience his predecessor boasts, the move was widely celebrated.

On Friday, the Rams went back to the well to help fill one of its vacancies. Los Angeles hired Giff Smith to be the defensive line coach and run-game coordinator, per Tom Pelissero.

Aug 12, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers defensive line coach Giff Smith (left) talks with Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay after the game at SoFi Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Most recently, Smith was the interim head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers, taking over for Staley. Smith will be replacing Eric Henderson, who departed to be the co-defensive coordinator of the USC Trojans.

The Chargers did not win a game with Smith at the helm, losing three one-possession games. The week before his promotion, Los Angeles lost 63-21.

Smith’s coaching career began at Arkansas in 1991, as a graduate assistant. From there, he worked his way up on the defensive side of the ball, moving to four other schools. In 2010, he made the jump to the NFL as the Buffalo Bills defensive line coach.

After a two-season stint as defensive line coach with the Tennessee Titans, Smith was hired by the Chargers, with the same role in mind. He watched over the defensive line until 2022 when he became the outside linebackers coach, which he held until the end of the 2023 season.

Smith brings three decades of experience, and while Los Angeles struggled to stop the run for much of his tenure, he is well-respected and is connected to McVay through their mutual relationship with Staley.

Could Rams' Shula Be the Next Branch on the McVay Coaching Tree?

He’s a nice complement to the youth movement Shula signifies and will look to improve upon a unit that ranked 12th in success rate and 13th in expected points added per play against the run.