The eyes of the football world may be trained on the Broncos and Seahawks this week, but there’s business going on elsewhere.
St. Louis is just such a place. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Wednesday that the Rams have decided not to bring defensive coordinator Tim Walton back for a second season with the team and the team confirmed it a short time later. The Rams wound up 13th in points allowed and 15th in yards allowed during the regular season and finished third in the league in sacks, but finished tied for last in the league in opponent completion percentage and last in yards per pass attempt.
Rumblings of a possible Walton departure began before the season was over. Reports in December indicated that head coach Jeff Fisher had taken on a bigger role in running the defense, although Fisher denied that was the case. True or not, someone else’s hand will be on the wheel come next season.
Gregg Williams ran the defense for Fisher for four years in Tennessee and was slated to be the Rams’ defensive coordinator in 2012 before he was suspended by the league after their investigation into the Saints’ defensive bounties. He’s looking for work after spending a year as a senior defensive assistant with the Titans and being ushered out when Mike Munchak was fired, which could lead to his name coming up in conjunction with the opening.