Rams Assistant Coaches Drawing Interest for Vacant Head Coaching Jobs

Kevin O'Connell and Thomas Brown are the latest Sean McVay assistants to draw interest for head coaching jobs.

Sean McVay's assistant coaches tend to be snatched by opposing teams for their head coaching vacancies. This season looks like that tendency could continue.

Last year, Brandon Staley, the former defensive coordinator of the Rams, was hired to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.

While no hires have been made this season, Rams assistant coaches are drawing interest across the league in a similar fashion.

On Friday, the Miami Dolphins put in a request to interview the Rams running back coach/assistant head coach Thomas Brown for their head coaching job, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Brown, 35, is relatively new to the Rams coaching staff, joining the club in 2020. Since his arrival, McVay has heavily relied on Brown as his right-hand man, frequently referencing Brown as a coach he conversates with on critical team aspects.

Pelissero's report also mentioned the buzz in which Brown is drawing, stating that he's viewed as a young, up-and-coming Mike Tomlin – high praise for the way he's considered across the NFL landscape.

Prior to cutting his teeth as a coach in the NFL, Brown served as the running backs coach and offensive coordinator at prominent college football programs, including Wisconsin, Georgia, Miami and South Carolina.

Brown is the Rams' second coach to be requested for a head coaching interview. Offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell is also drawing interest, as the Denver Broncos requested an interview on Monday.

O’Connell is in his second season as the Rams’ offensive coordinator after spending one season in Washington in the same role. O’Connell isn't the play-caller in L.A. but is deliberately involved in implementing game plans and most importantly having a profound focus on the quarterback position.

O’Connell, a former quarterback himself, was drafted in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. His playing career spanned across five seasons before transitioning into coaching, where he now sits in a position that he's likely to run his own offense one day assuming a promotion is on the horizon.

In just five seasons as head coach of the Rams, McVay's coaching tree is steadily growing large. In addition to Staley, McVay has groomed Zac Taylor, the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals and Matt LaFleur, the head coach of the Green Bay Packers.

Head coaching hires will be heating up in the coming days to weeks, and Brown and O'Connell could be the latest McVay protege to receive a promotion up the coaching totem pole.

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Nick Cothrel is the publisher of Ram Digest. Follow Nick and Ram Digest on Twitter @NickCothrel & @RamDigestSI for more Rams coverage.