Sean McVay has cool gesture for one of his assistant coaches

Aug 19, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay on the Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football set before the game against the Houston Texans at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay will be reducing his duties for Saturday’s preseason game, and is spotlighting one of his top assistants in the process.

McVay said Thursday that Aubrey Pleasant, the Rams’ defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator, will handle head coaching duties for Saturday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. McVay said he felt Pleasant deserved the chance to act as a head coach, and wanted him to get some familiarity with what the job entails.

Assistant head coach Aubrey Pleasant will be the head coach of the Rams on Saturday, said Sean McVay – who wanted Pleasant to get the game day reps in the role and who will spend some time up in the broadcast booth for the game.

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“He’s earned this right and it’s more of just going through some of the mechanics,” McVay said, via Adam Schefter of ESPN. “Meeting with the officials, handling some of the different things as it relates to timeouts, being able to communicate with both sides. Again, these games we approach very differently, but I think to be able to get those reps for the leadership role that he plays for our team, but also to be able to get those chances.

“I remember when I got opportunities when I was in Washington. Those were really cool things that I look back on and I really appreciate in hindsight. Maybe I didn’t realize how beneficial and valuable they were. Like I’ve mentioned to you guys, he’s earned the right of assistant head coach because of the influence and the positive effect that he has on everyone in this building. I think it’s a great, earned opportunity and he’ll do an excellent job.”

Pleasant was the Rams’ cornerbacks coach from 2017 to 2020, then returned to the team in his current role in 2023. The organization has launched a staggering number of head coaching careers since McVay joined. Raheem Morris’ recent work with the Rams helped him land a head coach job this past offseason. McVay appears to think Pleasant might have a future as a head coach as well.