Feb. 26, 2026, 5:00 p.m. PT
Former Washington head coach Jimmy Lake is staying with the Los Angeles Rams and expanding his role in 2026.
The ex-Huskies coach has been promoted to defensive backs coach and pass game coordinator for Sean McVay after helping improve the Rams’ secondary from No. 22 to the third-highest team coverage grade based on Pro Football Focus’ grades.
Lake, 49, served as a senior defensive assistant for the NFC West organization after being fired after one season as the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive coordinator in 2024.
Prior to his lone season under Raheem Morris, McVay brought the Eastern Washington University alum out of football purgatory as an assistant head coach in 2023, his first coaching role since being fired in November 2021 after 13 games as UW’s head coach.
Lake came to UW from Boise State with Chris Petersen, first as a defensive backs coach from 2014-15 before rising up the ranks as co-DC in 2016-17 and then full-time defensive coordinator in 2018-19.
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Following Petersen’s retirement after the 2019 season, Lake took over the Huskies and guided the program to a 3-1 record in the Covid-shortened season and then went 4-5 the following season before being fired due to a multitude of reasons, the most public of which being a sideline altercation with walk-on linebacker Ruperake Fuavai during a 26-16 loss to Oregon at Husky Stadium.
He spent the entire next season away from the sidelines before McVay hired him effectively as a personal assistant, before handing him more and more duties that has the ex-UW with a coordinator role in the NFL.
This past season, the Rams’ secondary took a significant step forward, allowing fewer passing yards and touchdowns in 2025 compared to the previous year, while the number of interceptions forced went up by three, all traits Lake is well known for, which should take another step forward now that he’s got more hands on duties with the defense.