Rams to hire Joe DeCamillis as new special teams coach
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said one of his first priorities during the offseason would be addressing his coaching staff.
True to his word, the Rams agreed to terms with new special teams coach Joe DeCamillis, hiring him away from the Jacksonville Jaguars. The move was first reported by Albert Breer of The MMQB and later confirmed by the team.
Current special teams coach John Bonamego will be retained as a senior coaching assistant.
DeCamillis has been a special teams coach in the NFL since 1988, working for the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars twice, along with the Chicago Bears, New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys.
According to Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings, the Rams were No. 30 in the NFL on special teams.
The Rams had issues at kicker early in the year, cycling through seventh-round selection Samuel Sloman and Kai Forbath before settling on Matt Gay, who stabilized the position.
The Utah product has made 14-of-16 field goals with a long of 51 yards and all 16 of his extra points. Gay also has a touchback percentage of 80 percent.
While Gay performed well, the Rams have struggled on punt coverage and punt returns at times this season.
The Rams had four fumbles on punt returns. L.A.’s 39.2 net punting average was seventh-worst in the NFL. The Rams were one of 10 NFL teams to have a punt blocked last year.
