NFL teams
Lindsey Thiry, ESPN 4y

Sources: Rams set to hire Brandon Staley and Kevin O'Connell as coordinators

NFL, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Rams are finalizing deals to hire Brandon Staley as defensive coordinator and Kevin O'Connell as offensive coordinator, sources tell ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Staley, who served last season as the Denver Broncos' outside linebackers coach, replaces Wade Phillips, who earlier this week was informed that his contract would not be renewed.

O'Connell spent the past three seasons as an offensive assistant with the Washington Redskins and last season was promoted to offensive coordinator. O'Connell, 34, fills a role that was vacated by Matt LaFleur after the 2017 season. McVay has not employed a full-time offensive coordinator the past two seasons.

The Rams' coaching staff has undergone significant changes since the end of an underwhelming season in which they finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs, less than a year after appearing in Super Bowl LIII.

Along with not renewing Phillips, McVay fired running backs coach Skip Peete. Special teams coordinator John Fassel, whose contract also was expiring, departed for the same post with the Dallas Cowboys.

The Rams have not yet named a new running backs coach or special teams coordinator.

Staley has spent the past three seasons coaching under Vic Fangio, who -- like Phillips, runs a 3-4 scheme. Before his yearlong stint with the Broncos, Staley, 37, spent two seasons as outside linebackers coach of the Chicago Bears. He previously held several assistant roles in the college ranks.

Staley inherits a defense that last season ranked ninth in defensive efficiency and returns star tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

On offense, it is expected that McVay will maintain his role as playcaller, but O'Connell will play a significant part in helping the unit rebound from a lackluster season that saw a significant decline in production.

Quarterback Jared Goff's total QBR dropped from 63.7 in 2018 to 48.5, which ranked 23rd in the NFL. And the Rams' run game behind Todd Gurley ranked 26th in yards per game, averaging only 93.7.

O'Connell, who was hired in Washington following McVay's departure for L.A., spent three years with the Redskins and hoped to return as their offensive coordinator. He interviewed twice with new coach Ron Rivera but O'Connell wanted more say in his staff, a source said. Rivera hired Scott Turner as the offensive coordinator.

O'Connell's role in Washington steadily increased since he was hired in 2017. He went from quarterbacks coach to passing game coordinator and then spent last season as offensive coordinator. However, he was not the main play caller until after coach Jay Gruden was fired following an 0-5 start.

Under interim coach Bill Callahan, the Redskins wanted to be a run-heavy team, which limited their ability to be diverse, especially on early downs. O'Connell also was tasked with trying to develop rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins. O'Connell spent extra time with Haskins and the two developed a strong bond. It paid off late as Haskins improved. In his last two starts Haskins completed a combined 31 of 43 passes for 394 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. And an offense that had sputtered most of the season scored a combined 62 points.

ESPN's John Keim contributed to this report.

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