Analyst says Sean McVay assistant is ready for head-coaching job

While many teams have tried to discover “the next Sean McVay” during their head coaching searches, perhaps the best place to look for such a being is on McVay’s Los Angeles Rams staff.

Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr recently suggested that as the coaching carousel begins to spin, teams would be wise to look at Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown as the next up-and-coming young football mind.

“Don’t let the Rams’ record, statistics or injuries fool you: assistant head coach Thomas Brown could be the next great disciple to rescue an NFL franchise,” Orr stated.

Brown, 36, has been with the Rams since 2020 when he started as a running backs coach. He was promoted to assistant head coach last season, and as Orr points out, he’s entrusted by McVay to run leadership meetings and is heavily involved in L.A.’s offense.

Though Brown is one of a handful of Rams assistants along with offensive coordinator Liam Coen and defensive coordinator Raheem Morris already in consideration for head coaching jobs, this may be the year a team gambles on Brown being the next wunderkind.

“It’s the perfect time to hire someone from the McVay tree, just like an uninspiring performance from Washington in 2016 was the perfect time to hire McVay before anyone else figured out it was a good idea,” Orr said. “Of course, teams may not see it this way. They could be throwing elbows for assistants from the 49ers, Eagles, Cowboys, Bengals and so on when they could be hiring someone just as qualified who, in a year where the Rams would have made the playoffs, would be just as sought after (and still very well might be during this cycle).”