Chiefs' Steve Spagnuolo Endorsed for NFL HC Job by Rams' Demoff: 'Well Past Time'

Count Los Angeles Rams COO Kevin Demoff among those who believe Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo deserves another NFL head coaching opportunity.

Responding to a tweet in which current Miami Dolphins and former Chiefs superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill questioned why Spagnuolo never receives head coaching interviews, Demoff threw his support behind the four-time Super Bowl-winning DC:

Demoff joined the Rams organization in 2009 when they were the St. Louis Rams, and he watched as Spagnuolo posted a 10-38 record as head coach of the Rams from 2009 through 2011, which was his only full-time NFL head coaching opportunity to date.

The 64-year-old Spagnuolo has been the Chiefs' defensive coordinator under head coach Andy Reid since 2019, and during that time, KC has won three Super Bowls.

Reid and offensive stars such as quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce often receive much of the credit for the Chiefs' success, but there is no question that Spagnuolo's defense carried the team for much of the 2023 season.

Kansas City ranked first in the NFL in both total defense and scoring defense during the regular season, both of which were the Chiefs' best rankings under Spagnuolo.

In four playoff games, teams averaged just 15.8 points per game against the Kansas City defense. That included the Chiefs holding the NFL's No. 2 scoring offense in the Miami Dolphins to six points in the AFC Wild Card Round, and a Baltimore Ravens offense led by the NFL MVP in quarterback Lamar Jackson to 10 points in the AFC Championship Game.

Prior to becoming the Rams' head coach in 2009, Spagnuolo was the New York Giants' defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2008, and he helped lead them to a Super Bowl win as well.

Spagnuolo found himself in a difficult situation in St. Louis, as he lacked the necessary talent on both sides of the ball.

That led to the Rams going 1-15 in 2009 and 2-14 in 2011, although they did have a respectable 7-9 season in 2010 sandwiched in between.

Unfortunately for Spagnuolo, all NFL head coaching vacancies have been filled, so he will almost certainly remain in his DC role with the Chiefs for the 2024 season.

As was the case with former Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, it is possible that the Chiefs' deep playoff runs have adversely impacted Spagnuolo's chances of landing another head coaching job.

Teams typically like to have their head coach in place before the playoffs are over, but they can't officially hire someone until their team has been eliminated.

The Chiefs have reached the AFC Championship Game in six consecutive seasons and the Super Bowl in four of the past five campaigns.

Even so, Spagnuolo has to be firmly on teams' radars after what he accomplished in 2023, so if he can prevent the defense from experiencing much of a drop-off next season, he has a chance to be one of the hottest candidates in the next hiring cycle.