Rams expected to hire Rob Ryan for defensive coordinator position, per report

Is it happening or not happening? According to Ed Werder of ESPN, it's happening. Werder told SportsCenter on Tuesday afternoon that the expectation was that the St. Louis Rams would make Rob Ryan their next defensive coordinator. And that's all there is to go on at the moment.

Ryan was in St. Louis over the weekend, leaving on Saturday without a contract. That detail only means that the man had an early flight out of town, like the rest of the story, don't read anymore into it than necessary. This whole saga has been one of the stranger coaching streams of the year, with the exception of Chip Kelly to Philadelphia, from the minute it was reported incorrectly that Ryan had the job.

Werder is also the latest to report that Gregg Williams is not coming back to the Rams. Surprise. Considering the team didn't find his son to be a fit, bringing the elder Williams back seemed like a stretch.

The Rams defense did fairly well this season without a coordinator, having lost Williams in March to a suspension. Still, it's best to have one person that can bring it all together on the field, create a game plan and execute it. Ryan's a semi-controversial figure, but he's pretty well respected as a coach.

Yes, I know where his defenses have ranked over the recent years. Let's take the flip side of that argument. Josh McDaniels led one of the most prolific offenses in the history of the NFL ... and how did that turn out for him as a head coach and the Rams' coordinator?