The Los Angeles Rams have been busy filling key roles on Sean McVay’s coaching staff as they hired Bubba Ventrone to be their new special teams coordinator while also bringing in Kyle Hoke as an assistant special teams coach.
The Rams also added one of the best offensive minds in Kliff Kingsbury after Mike LaFleur left to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Kingsbury’s role is unknown at this time, even with L.A. still looking for a new offensive coordinator.
There is more uncertainty on McVay’s staff as assistant head coach and passing game coordinator Aubrey Pleasant has interviewed for multiple defensive coordinator positions this offseason. He has also worked closely with the team’s defensive backs over the years, so his potential departure would be felt everywhere.
The Rams seem to be preparing for that possibility as they reportedly hired former University of Tennessee defensive backs coach Michael Hunter Jr. to the same role, via Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports:
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 joined Tennessee last month but decided to take a similar opportunity with the Rams. His coaching experience to date includes stints as an assistant defensive backs coach at Ohio State (2024-2025), defensive pass game coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Tulsa (2023), and defensive assistant at Oklahoma State (2021-2022).
Prior to becoming a coach, Hunter played two seasons with the New York Giants from 2016-2017. He also saw time on the practice squad for the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.
The Rams’ secondary was strong at times in 2025 but it struggled with inconsistency, especially toward the end of the season. Hunter will be in charge of helping the group get back on track, even if Pleasant remains with the Rams.
Les Snead: Rams will ‘attack’ cornerback position
Rams general manager Les Snead recently confirmed that the team will look to improve the cornerback position in the coming weeks.
L.A. will have decisions to make on Kam Curl, Cobie Durant, Ahkello Witherspoon and Roger McCreary, who are all on track to reach free agency. Darious Williams could also be released for salary cap reasons.
The Rams figure to explore all avenues for secondary help, including the 2026 NFL Draft, free agency and trades. They have two first-round picks and around $45 million in salary cap space this offseason.