WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Rams head coach Sean McVay on Monday confirmed the team has parted ways with special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn.
McVay said assistant special teams coach Ben Kotwica will assume Blackburn's role on an interim basis. Blackburn was in his third season in the role.
"Can't say enough good things about the human being, but it's as simple as it really boils down to just thought this was best for the direction of our special teams," McVay said. "There's been some things that we have to be better in some critical moments, and I do feel good about the leadership that will be had by Ben Kotwica."
McVay also said that Matt Harper will be hired as a special teams coach to help Kotwica.
The decision comes after the Rams' 38-37 Thursday Night Football loss to the Seahawks in Seattle last week, in which a 16-point, fourth-quarter lead disappeared in part because of 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Seattle's Rashid Shaheed that sparked its comeback win and dropped Los Angeles to 11-4 overall. That loss moved the playoff-bound Rams from the No. 1 seed to the No. 5 seed in the NFC standings.
Special teams miscues played a part in three of the Rams' four losses; field goal operation issues against the Eagles in Week 3 and 49ers in Week 5 were costly. Personnel changes – brining on Harrison Mevis as their new kicker and Jake McQuaide as their new long snapper in Week 10 – helped stabilize the kicking game for a stretch; Mevis' first miss as a Ram didn't come until last week. Explosive punt returns by opponents were an issue in both wins (Week 9 vs. Saints) and losses (Week 5 vs. 49ers).
Hired this past offseason, Kotwica has 17 years of NFL coaching experience across six different NFL teams: The Jets (defense/special teams quality control 2007-08; assistant special teams coach 2009-12; special teams coordinator 2013), Washington (special teams coordinator 2014-18), Falcons (special teams coordinator 2019-20), Vikings (assistant special teams coach 2022) and Broncos (special teams coordinator 2023-24).
McVay said that he believes in the "capacity," "accountability" and "core beliefs" that Kotwica holds, having worked with him both with the Rams and earlier in his career with the Commanders. He added that they will retain "a lot of the foundational things" within their special teams units, but there are other things that they want to improve in regards to their play style and approach.
"I think (Kotwica's) urgent, accountable, very clear with regards to his communication style, and I'm excited for him to be able to lead the charge," McVay said.
This type of mid-season coaching change is atypical for McVay, who took responsibility for the situation. He said the decision was made on Friday morning after the game, which gave Kotwica a few days to prepare for his new role ahead of this week's preparation for the Falcons, who the Rams will play on Monday night.
Kotwica will be helped by Harper, who has served as an assistant special teams coach for two different teams: The Eagles (2013-14, 2016-18) and the 49ers (2021-present). McVay has never worked with Harper personally, but Kotwica has "familiarity with him coaching against him and knowing him," McVay said.
