Report: Rams hire Liam Coen as offensive coordinator

The Los Angeles Rams have hired Liam Coen as offensive coordinator as the replacement to Kevin O’Connell, the now head coach of the Minnesota Vikings - per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Additionally, per Breer, LA is also reuniting with Greg Olson. Olson has been the offensive coordinator for the Raiders under Jon Gruden, and he was a member of Sean McVay’s original 2017 offensive coaching crew. What has the veteran coach learned after the departure of Gruden from Las Vegas and the opportunity to call plays for Derek Carr and the Raiders offense over the second half of the season and into the playoffs?

Coen first joined McVay’s 2018 coaching staff as the assistant wide receivers coach. Prior to the 2020 season he was re-assigned the title of assistant quarterbacks coach, which he held for one year. Coen was hired by the University of Kentucky as the team’s offensive coordinator last off-season under Mark Stoops, and the Wildcats finished 10-3 in 2021 in part due to solid offensive production.

The young coach is likely on the fast track to becoming a head coach in the NFL, similar to those that have held the title of offensive coordinator with the Rams under McVay. This is quite a promotion for Coen, as he moved up the ladder from assistant receivers coach to the top dog on offense in just three years. It’s not so much a matter of if, but when the offensive coordinator will get his chance. How soon will he join the head coaching ranks alongside former McVay assistants Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor, Brandon Staley, and Kevin O’Connell?

McVay and the Rams still have a number of coaching positions to fill ahead of this off-season, including tight-ends coach after Wes Phillips followed O’Connell to the Vikings.

It will be interesting to follow how Los Angeles adapts its offense in its second year with quarterback Matthew Stafford at the helm. It’s reasonable to expect a significant step forward for the offense, which struggled with turnovers and sputtered at times over the second half of the season.

Can the Rams evolve their running game after struggling to get much production from that aspect of their offense during their playoff run? Should we expect a healthy Cam Akers to be the workhorse back, and can the Rams utilize Darrell Henderson in a way that maximizes his receiving and change of pace talents?

How will the receiver position shake out with the return of Robert Woods from his mid-season ACL injury, and will the Rams retain or replace Odell Beckham, Jr.? Los Angeles also has a number of young receiver talents they will need to develop, including Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Jacob Harris, Ben Skowronek, Brycen Hopkins, and Kendall Blanton.

While holding the title of offensive coordinator under Sean McVay will most likely lead to a lot of personal success over the course of his career, there still remains plenty of open questions for Coen to navigate in his new role. Can he be successful as the team’s new OC?