Sean McVay is one of the most well-regarded offensive minds in football.
His offenses are potent. Plus his assistants have gone on to land head-coaching jobs elsewhere. That tends to be a good sign when other teams want to hire your staffers. But just one year after winning a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams, McVay is shaking up his staff. And one reported target is Chicago Bears Assistant Offensive Line Coach Austin King:
NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo reports the Rams have put in an interview request to talk to King for their OL Coach opening. And, frankly, I’m a bit surprised. But maybe I shouldn’t be.
Because, on the one hand, Head Coach Matt Eberflus appears to have put together a quality staff of assistants. You don’t want to see your guys go, but I see it as a sign of respect that other teams are coming to sniff around your assistants. But on the other hand, we all saw that Bears offensive line last year. This has me wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to hire away an assistant responsible for tutoring that group. Then again, we know better than to put too much of the onus on coaching when the talent wasn’t there and injuries did wonders to further complicate matters in the trenches. In other words, I’m sure King is a quality candidate. And his résumé might merit a promotion, production (or lack thereof) from the Bears line be damned.
As Garafolo points out, King has playing experience with the Atlanta Falcons as an offensive lineman (34 games from 2004-06). And was most recently coaching Raiders tight ends before landing in Chicago. If King jumps ship for a promotion, the Bears would be searching for yet another assistant coach. Let’s not forget they’re already in the market for a DBs Coach after James Rowe’s departure to coach at USF. So let’s keep tabs on this situation as it develops.