The Los Angeles Rams have announced their Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellows for the team’s Organized Team Activities (OTAs) leading up to the 2024 season. The fellowship aims to strengthen the NFL’s diverse talent pool and provides experience to accomplished coaches from various backgrounds. This marks the second consecutive year the Rams have mentored coaching fellows during OTAs and Mandatory Minicamp.
This year’s fellowship will begin on Tuesday, May 28, and continue through the end of OTAs on Monday, June 12.
The fellowship is named after the late Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Bill Walsh, who introduced the concept to the NFL in 1987 by bringing a group of minority coaches to the San Francisco 49ers’ training camp. The program is designed to increase the number of full-time NFL minority coaches by exposing fellows to the methods and philosophies of an NFL coaching staff.
Below is a list of the Rams’ 2024 Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellows:
CJ Cox: Outside Linebackers
CJ Cox will assist with the outside linebackers during his fellowship. He is entering his first season as the safeties coach at the University of Alabama-Birmingham after spending three seasons at Kent State, where he coached cornerbacks and served as the pass game coordinator. Prior to Kent State, Cox coached cornerbacks at the University of Montana for three seasons, spent one year at Sacramento State, and had a five-year stint at his alma mater UNLV, where he was a running back and linebacker. Cox was a member of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA)’s “35 Under 35” in 2023 and participated in the Bill Walsh Coaching Fellowship with the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
Jamil Douglas: Offensive Line
Former NFL player Jamil Douglas will assist the offensive line during his fellowship with the Rams. He played two seasons with the Miami Dolphins (2015-16), two seasons with the Tennessee Titans (2019-20), and one season with the Washington Commanders (2021). Douglas appeared in 50 career regular-season games (11 starts) and four postseason contests. He was selected in the fourth round (114th overall) by the Dolphins in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Will Blackmon: Defensive Backs
Will Blackmon will support the defensive backs as part of his fellowship with the Rams. The 10-year NFL veteran played four seasons with the Green Bay Packers (2006-09), two seasons with the New York Giants (2010-11), two seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2013-14), and two seasons with the Washington Commanders (2015-16). Blackmon appeared in five postseason contests and became a Super Bowl Champion with the Giants during the 2011 season.
Kwesi Drake: Defensive Line
Kwesi Drake, a coach at Jones College, will assist the defensive line during his fellowship with the Rams. He is entering his sixth season as the Bobcats’ defensive line coach and has coached numerous Division I signees during his tenure. Before Jones College, Drake worked in law enforcement for 16 years and was a detective leading a unit with 10 investigators and two evidence technicians. He retired from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in Alabama in 2018. Drake began coaching part-time in a semi-pro league in Alabama for three years and also coached at Beauregard High School for three seasons, helping them win a state championship in 2016. He played four seasons collegiately at Auburn.