For a franchise that has long valued continuity under Sean McVay, the quiet departure of the Los Angeles Rams longtime defensive backs coach, Aubrey Pleasant lands as one of the more surprising moves of the offseason.
Pleasant was not pushed out by the market.
He interviewed for defensive coordinator vacancies with the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars — yet never landed a job elsewhere. Instead, he simply is no longer on the Rams staff in 2026.
That distinction matters.
This was not a coach climbing the ladder. This was an organization choosing a different direction.
Subscribe to LAFB Network’s Los Angeles Rams YouTube Channel
From Stability to Intentional Disruption
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Pleasant’s résumé in Los Angeles was substantial. He was assistant head coach, a trusted voice in the building, and twice handled preseason head-coaching duties — even guiding the team to exhibition wins while McVay observed from above. Few position coaches are handed that level of operational trust.
And yet, despite that standing, the Rams pivoted.
Their replacement choice says everything about why.
Jimmy Lake now takes over as pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach, with newly added db coach Michael Hunter assisting — a structural change that suggests not just a new voice, but a redesigned pipeline of ideas, evaluation, and teaching.
Lake is not an outsider learning the system. He is a returning architect with a dramatically different defensive worldview.
Support Local and Independent Sports Writing – Subscribe To the LAFB Network Today!
Why Jimmy Lake Represents More Than a Promotion
Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Lake’s background reads like a blueprint for the kind of secondary the Rams have lacked since the Jalen Ramsey era: disruptive, takeaway-driven, and structurally aggressive.
During his most recent NFL stop as defensive coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, his defense:
Led the NFC with three interception return touchdowns
Finished seventh in interception return yardage (187)
Produced impact seasons from playmakers like Jessie Bates III and Kaden Ellis
Emphasized versatility, pressure integration, and coverage disguise
That profile contrasts with a Rams secondary that, while functional in 2025, too often bent without changing games — particularly when the pass rush didn’t get home.
The Rams don’t just want coverage. They want consequences.
Get LAFB’s World Famous ‘Ring Me’ Aaron Donald T-Shirt
A Coach Steeped in Defensive Identity
Lake’s pedigree traces back to dominant college defenses at the Washington Huskies, where his units consistently ranked among the nation’s best in scoring defense, total defense, and takeaways. His 2016 defense helped carry Washington to the College Football Playoff, leading the FBS in turnovers forced.
It must be pointed out that Lake’s tenure as Washington’s head coach was tumultuous and full of issues both on and off the field.
Earlier NFL stops — including work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and later roles that intersected with staffs from the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers — built a reputation for detailed secondary play and adaptable coverage structures.
Lake’s defenses have historically been:
Coverage-multiple, not static
Safety-driven rather than corner-isolated
Built to generate turnovers, not just limit explosives
Developmental environments for young defensive backs
That last trait may be the most important, given where the Rams roster sits today.
The Move Aligns With a Roster Reality the Rams Can’t Ignore
Independent of coaching, the Rams entered this offseason with a glaring truth: The
cornerback has become their most unsettled position group.
Multiple contributors are hitting free agency. Proven veterans are on expiring or non-guaranteed deals. And since trading Ramsey in 2023, the team has largely tried to patch the position rather than rebuild it.
General manager Les Snead has already acknowledged the team must “attack” the position — strong language from a front office that traditionally prefers measured roster construction.
The numbers reinforce the urgency:
Only a handful of corners are under contract for 2026.
The team holds two first-round picks — rare draft capital for this regime.
The Rams have not selected a cornerback in the first two rounds since 2014.
The 2025 defense faltered late in the season without a true No. 1 presence.
In other words, the Rams are not tweaking the room. They’re rebuilding it.
Reading Between the Lines of Pleasant’s Exit
Pleasant was closely associated with the Rams’ previous secondary model — one that leaned on veteran savvy, mid-tier acquisitions, and schematic protection rather than premium reinvestment.
Letting him go, despite his leadership role and league interest, suggests the organization did not want continuity while undertaking what amounts to a philosophical reset.
They didn’t just want new players coached the same way.
They wanted the teaching, structure, and evaluation itself to change.
Lake offers that clean break without requiring a cultural reboot. He already understands McVay’s program, having served as assistant head coach during the 2023 turnaround from 5-12 to a playoff berth.
This is evolution, not upheaval — but it is still a clear line of demarcation.
What This Means for the Rams’ Offseason Strategy
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Expect the Rams’ approach to defensive backs in 2026 to look far more aggressive than in recent years:
Draft: With picks No. 13 and No. 29, Los Angeles now has the flexibility to invest premium capital at corner — something historically avoided.
Free Agency: Cap space gives them room to pursue a starter rather than rotational depth.
Trades: This front office has never shied away from bold secondary moves, from Marcus Peters to Ramsey.
Lake’s track record suggests the Rams want interchangeable pieces who can create turnovers — not just survive in coverage.
The Bigger Picture: Maximizing the Stafford Window
All of this aligns with one organizational priority: making the most of however long Matthew Stafford continues to play.
If the offense remains playoff-caliber, the Rams don’t need a passive defense. They need one capable of stealing possessions in January.
That requires a different kind of secondary — and, evidently, a different coach to build it.
Final Thought
Aubrey Pleasant’s departure is surprising on the surface because of his stature inside the building. But viewed through the lens of roster construction and competitive timeline, the move reflects urgency rather than instability.
The Rams are no longer managing the cornerback position.
They are finally rebuilding it — and Jimmy Lake is the coach tasked with making sure that investment produces impact, not just depth.