The first thing that stands out about Chris Shula is his bloodline.

His grandfather is Don Shula, a Hall of Famer and the NFL’s all-time winningest coach. His father is David Shula, once the coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. His uncle is Mike Shula, who was once the coach at Alabama.

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However, the 39-year-old Chris Shula has developed his own coaching chops. He is in his second season as the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive coordinator. The Rams visit the Chicago Bears in an NFC Divisional playoff game on Sunday night.

Shula is one of the eight candidates for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coaching position, which opened on Tuesday when Mike Tomlin resigned after 19 seasons. Shula interviewed on Friday, along with Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.

Shula also interviewed with the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins on Friday. The Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Las Vegas Raiders, and Tennessee Titans have requested interviews with him. The New York Giants were also interested in Shula before choosing John Harbaugh.

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The Steelers plan to interview Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter on Saturday. The Steelers have also requested interviews with Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak, and Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

Shula entered the NFL with the Chargers as a defensive quality control coach in 2015 and spent two seasons with them. He then joined the Rams and head coach Sean McVay, his college teammate at Miami (Ohio). Shula worked his way up the ladder on the defensive side of the Rams’ coaching staff before becoming the defensive coordinator in 2024.

The Rams were 17th in scoring defense and 26th in total defense during McVay’s first season as DC. This season, they improved to 10th in points allowed and 17th in total yards allowed.

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Shula began his coaching career in the college ranks as the assistant linebackers coach at Ball State in 2010. Shula then spent three seasons as a graduate assistant at Indiana and one year as the defensive coordinator at John Carroll, a Division III school in Cleveland, before moving to the NFL.