Rams Hire Bubba Ventrone as Special Teams Coordinator, Beating Out Steelers' Interest
The Los Angeles Rams are bringing in Bubba Ventrone to lead their special teams unit, a move that signals a clear intent to tighten up a phase of the game that cost them dearly this past postseason. The Pittsburgh Steelers, who had requested to interview Ventrone, will have to look elsewhere - the Pittsburgh native is heading west.
Ventrone’s name has been gaining traction in coaching circles for years, and it’s easy to see why. He’s not just another former player turned coach - he’s built a strong résumé with tangible results, especially in the kicking and punting game. Most recently, he served as the Cleveland Browns’ special teams coordinator for the past three seasons, and the numbers speak volumes about the impact he had there.
Let’s start with kicker Dustin Hopkins. Under Ventrone’s guidance in 2023, Hopkins set a franchise record with 33 made field goals.
Even more impressive? Eight of those came from 50 yards or beyond - another Browns record.
Hopkins finished the year with 123 points, the second-highest single-season total in team history, trailing only Hall of Famer Jim Brown’s 126-point campaign back in 1965. That’s elite company, and it’s no coincidence.
On the punting side, Corey Bojorquez flourished as well. He averaged 49.4 yards per punt - the best mark in Browns history - and dropped 31 punts inside the 20-yard line, the second-most ever by a Cleveland punter.
In 2024, Bojorquez took it up another notch, leading the NFL with 16 punts pinned inside the 10-yard line. That kind of precision punting can flip field position and change the complexion of a game, especially in tight playoff battles.
And speaking of playoffs, the Rams’ special teams unit had a rough go in the postseason. A costly muffed punt by Xavier Smith in the NFC Championship Game against Seattle loomed large in their loss.
That came just weeks after a string of special teams miscues in an overtime defeat to the Seahawks in Week 16 - a game that ultimately cost Chase Blackburn his job. The Rams let him go on December 20, opening the door for this hire.
Now they’re turning to Ventrone, a coach with a proven track record and deep NFL experience. Before his time in Cleveland, he served as the Colts’ special teams coordinator from 2018 to 2022, and prior to that, he cut his teeth under Bill Belichick as a special teams assistant with the Patriots from 2015 to 2017.
Ventrone’s playing career also gives him credibility in the locker room. He appeared in 97 NFL games, primarily as a core special teamer, suiting up for the Patriots, Browns, and 49ers between 2007 and 2014. He racked up 64 career tackles and was known for his hustle and toughness - traits he’s carried into his coaching style.
A product of Chartiers Valley High School outside Pittsburgh, Ventrone’s move to L.A. means he won’t be returning home just yet. That’s a tough break for the Steelers, who were clearly interested in bringing him aboard.
But for the Rams, this is a calculated move to shore up a unit that has been anything but consistent. And if Ventrone can replicate the success he had in Cleveland, Los Angeles might have just landed one of the most impactful coaching hires of the offseason.
One more note: football runs deep in the Ventrone family. His brother, Ross Ventrone, played safety for the Steelers from 2013 to 2015 - another layer to what could’ve been a homecoming story. Instead, it’s the Rams who land a coach on the rise, and they’re betting big that Ventrone’s attention to detail and ability to elevate special teams play will pay dividends in 2026.