Rams Make Their First Defensive Coaching Hire of 2026 Offseason

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. A bit late considering it was widely expected that the Los Angeles Rams would have to replace majority of their defensive coaching staff, but after Chris Shula returned to the organization as defensive coordinator, a mass exodus of defensive coaches did not occur.

Thus on Tuesday, the Rams made their first defensive hire of the offseason cycle. Here's who is coming to Los Angeles and what this means for the organization.

The Rams' New Hire

According to CBS Sports Matt Zenitz, the Rams are hiring Michael Hunter from Tennessee to be their next defensive backs coach.

The #Rams are expected to hire Tennessee’s Michael Hunter as a defensive backs coach, sources tell
@CBSSports ,' wrote Zenitz. "The ex-NFL defensive back was assistant defensive backs coach at Ohio State the last two years before Tennessee."

The #Rams are expected to hire Tennessee’s Michael Hunter as a defensive backs coach, sources tell @CBSSports.

The ex-NFL defensive back was assistant defensive backs coach at Ohio State the last two years before Tennessee. pic.twitter.com/SchdetVcWT
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) February 10, 2026

Hunter, who played for Indiana and Oklahoma State before going undrafted in 2016, is a defensive back by trade who spent four years bouncing around the NFL before embarking on a coaching career.

Hunter was set to coach for the Tennessee Volunteers this upcoming season but chose to come to the NFL instead after winning the 2024 National Title with Ohio State

This hire comes in the wake of Aubrey Pleasant taking multiple defensive coordinator interviews. Pleasant is the Rams' assistant head coach/ pass game coordinator who filled in for the responsibilities coaching defensive backs with Chris Beake, Mike Harris, and others.

It's unknown if this move has any correlation with Pleasant's recent interviews.

A McVay Type Of Hire

Over his career as Rams head coach, Sean McVay has hired a bunch of coaches from the collegiate ranks and former Patriots/ Bill Belichick assistants. I asked McVay during his end-of-year presser why he looks to those areas to fill out his staff.

Hunter, a collegiate coach since 2021, worked with former Patriots Super Bowl winning defensive coordinator Matt Patricia at Ohio State last year.

“It's a good question," stated McVay. "I think the first thing is there's just a wide range there. There are great coaches everywhere. Some of the best coaches that I've ever been around were my high school coaches and so whether it's little league, whether it's high school, college, professional, there are great coaches everywhere. Our job is to identify. We've had some fortunate examples of getting some exposure to some special people through different connections that have really worked out."

"You talk about guys like [Pass Game Coordinator] Nate Scheelhaase, being able to get him from Iowa State and what a stud he's become. Then you look at other guys, whether it's the [Texans Offensive Coordinator Nick] Caley's, the [Offensive Line Coach] Ryan Wendell's from the Belichick background and then, [Special Teams Coordinator] Bubba Ventrone coming in here. He's a great coach. I respect the way that he does it."

"There's a foundational philosophy. There's a demand of the discipline, the intrinsic motivation, the consistent things, the ball's right. When guys that have been around good settings and situations, usually they're trained the right way and then they've got their makeup and the competitive makeup to be able to handle some of the different things that you go through when you're around greats like Coach Belichick."

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay reacts after a defensive stop against the Chicago Bears during the fourth quarter of an NFC Divisional Round game at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

"We are going to really do our due diligence. I think the fortunate thing for us is we've had a lot of reps at this. You don't want to rush it and you want to look at the successful outcomes. You want to look at the times that maybe you've been shortsighted and make sure that you do a great job of being able to put together the best staff because it's like putting together a team."

"The cohesiveness and the staff continuity and connection amongst those guys is so freaking important to me. Who you bring in and their makeup is so vital because we got a bunch of high character guys that push each other in the right ways. It just takes one miss to mess up those dynamics and make sure that we're betting on the right people. I'm excited about whoever we bring in here this year.”

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