The Los Angeles Rams made it official on Monday that Kliff Kingsbury will be the team’s assistant head coach for the 2026 season as the organization announced its full coaching staff. His role had been listed as undetermined when the Rams brought him aboard on Feb. 6. There is nothing unclear about it now.
Kliff Kingsbury Gets the Title, Aubrey Pleasant Moves On
The reaction from the NFL world was immediate. Adam Schefter confirmed the move as the news broke: “Kliff Kingsbury is now the Rams assistant head coach.”
Buried in the announcement was a roster move on the coaching staff itself. Aubrey Pleasant, who held the assistant head coach and DBs coach roles a season ago, was not retained. His absence was noticed.
“Wow… Looks like the Rams moved on from Aubrey Pleasant,” Blaine Grisak of Turf Show Times wrote on X. “He was the assistant head coach and DBs coach. Kliff Kingsbury is now the assistant head coach, and Jimmy Lake is the DBs coach.”
Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 confirmed the full scope of the staff changes: “Rams hired recently retired Robert Woods as assistant receivers coach, named Kliff Kingsbury assistant head coach.”
Announcing our 2026 Coaching Staff! 📋 pic.twitter.com/sIOVqbIsNX
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) February 23, 2026
Woods, who spent seven seasons in Los Angeles as a wide receiver before finishing his career elsewhere, returns to Inglewood on the other side of the sideline. The hire drew its own commentary, with multiple fans noting the full-circle nature of a former franchise staple coming back to the building in a coaching role.
The Rams also confirmed Bubba Ventrone as special teams coordinator, Kyle Hoke as a special teams assistant, and Brian Allen as assistant offensive line coach as part of the staff rollout.
A Former NFC West Rival Is Now in Sean McVay’s Corner
Kingsbury’s route to this job ran directly through the NFC West. He spent five seasons as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, during which he was a divisional rival of McVay’s Rams. After parting ways with Arizona, he joined the Washington Commanders as offensive coordinator for two seasons before the two sides mutually agreed to move on following the 2025 campaign.
He is now working under one of the best offensive minds in the NFL rather than trying to beat him twice a year.
Whether McVay leans on Kingsbury as a true offensive collaborator or uses the assistant head coach title in a broader mentorship and staff management capacity will become clear once the offseason program ramps up. What is clear is that the Rams enter 2026 with a rebuilt staff and a group of analysts who have seen enough to form an early opinion.
