Seattle Seahawks plan to hire Shane Waldron from Los Angeles Rams as offensive coordinator

SEATTLE – The Seattle Seahawks are planning to hire Los Angeles Rams passing game coordinator Shane Waldron as their new offensive coordinator, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Waldron didn’t call for games in any of his seven seasons as an NFL assistant. He has spent the last four seasons with the Rams, after following coach Sean McVay to Los Angeles from the Washington football team.

“He’s a phenomenal trainer,” McVay said of Waldron in 2018, according to The Detroit News. “He’s a great communicator. He has a rare ability to connect authentically and genuinely not only with the coaches but also with the players and to be able to correct in a way that doesn’t turn the guard up on guys. It’s all about problem solving and taking action. He’s obviously done a phenomenal job, especially as the leader for our offense, not just as the pass game coordinator. “

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll cast a wide net and took his time in his search for a replacement for Brian Schottenheimer, all while listening to quarterback Russell Wilson’s commentary along the way. Wilson made it clear to the team and reporters that he wanted his voice to be heard during the research – and it was. Wilson’s personal quarterback coach Jake Heaps tweeted his excitement on Schefter’s report that Waldron was the choice.

After hiring Schottenheimer in 2018 in part because he wanted a quarterback-centric coordinator, Carroll interviewed candidates with and without QB experience this time around, with former Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn and Las Vegas Raiders running back coach Kirby Wilson among those in the last category.

Other assistants the Seahawks were interested in included quarterback coaches Ken Dorsey (Buffalo Bills) and Joe Lombardi (New Orleans Saints), according to Schefter. Lombardi (Chargers) and Lynn (Detroit Lions) have taken OC jobs elsewhere.

In the end, Carroll picked from the tree McVay – and a division rival – for his fourth offensive coordinator since being hired by Seattle in 2010 and third since the Seahawks drafted Wilson in 2012.

Waldron worked with McVay in Washington in 2016 as an offensive quality control coach. Waldron broke into the NFL as an operations intern with the New England Patriots in 2002. In his second stint with New England after three seasons as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame, Waldron was 2008 offensive quality control coach and 2009 tight ends coach Prior to his tenure in Washington, he spent four seasons at UMass (tight ends, offensive line), one with the UFL Hartford Colonials (wide receivers) and one as the high school offensive coordinator in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Waldron held an additional quarterback coach title with the Rams in 2019. They hired Kevin O’Connell as offensive coordinator in January 2020, instead of promoting Waldron or leading play coordinator Aaron Kromer in that role.

Waldron is a native of Portland, Oregon, and graduated in 2002 from Tufts University, where he was a tight end and a long snapper.

The Seahawks set a franchise record for points in 2020, Schottenheimer’s third season as coordinator, but most of that success came early in the season, before Wilson & Co. hit a wall in the middle. year. That regression continued in the Seahawks’ 30-20 loss to the Rams, which marked the fifth time they have failed to pass the divisional round in as many playoff trips since their appearances. consecutive to the Super Bowl.

The Seahawks announced on Jan. 12 that they were “parting ways” with Schottenheimer, citing philosophical differences.

Explaining his team’s offensive regression, Carroll stressed the importance of running the ball to set up Seattle’s deep passing game, which opponents began to take away later in the season. It was a clear clue as to one thing Carroll would look for in a new coordinator: someone with experience in a race-oriented attack. In Waldron’s four seasons in Los Angeles, the Rams ranked 25th in sink rate.

One thing that remains to be seen is how much of McVay’s system Waldron will bring with him to Seattle. The Seahawks didn’t revise their offense the last time they switched co-ordinators, keeping about 70% of their playbook and leaving Schottenheimer to add the rest.

Another unknown is what will happen to passing play coordinator Dave Canales, a longtime assistant to Carroll who has been sidelined from the OC position in favor of Waldron. Wide receivers coach Nate Carroll, Pete’s son, would be an option to reprise the role of Canales.

Waldron’s departure marks more turnover for McVay’s staff. Defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has been hired as the Chargers’ head coach, while assistants Ray Agnew, Joe Barry and Aubrey Pleasant have held coaching positions elsewhere. And the Rams’ front office lost Brad Holmes, who was hired by the Lions as general manager.

Lindsey Thiry of ESPN contributed to this report.