Sean McVay has quickly proved he’s one of the best coaches in the NFL, but he wouldn’t have gotten where he is today if those he worked with previously didn’t open some doors for him. This isn’t meant as a slight to his talent or intelligence as a coach, it’s something he openly admits himself.

After seeing how much coaches such as Jon Gruden, Mike Shanahan and Jay Gruden helped him, he’s hoping to do the same for his assistants. McVay has already helped Matt LaFleur and Zac Taylor land head coaching gigs, as well as Greg Olson becoming the Raiders’ offensive coordinator last season, but the Rams coach isn’t going to stop there.

He’s doing what he can to set pass game coordinator Shane Waldron up for success. During the preseason, McVay is going to give Waldron some play-calling duties, allowing him to get comfortable with that aspect of coaching.

“It’s really good for the new guys to kind of feel what the normal rhythm of a flow of a game is. And then, in a lot of instances, it gives you a chance – especially for some of our coaches on offense – a guy like Shane to call some plays and get some experience,” McVay said Thursday. “I was so fortunate to have Jay Gruden give me those opportunities when I was in a similar role. I couldn’t be more thankful for him and what I learned in terms of empowering your assistants is one of the best things I would take away from Jay and I think these preseason games represent a great opportunity for players and coaches to both grow and for us to get a feel for kind of our rhythm during the game.”

It’s not something McVay has to do, and it’s probably not something every coach does during the preseason. But giving Waldron the chance to call plays and gain experience in exhibition games can go a long way when it comes time for him to interview for other coaching jobs.

As recently as this offseason, Waldron interviewed for the Bengals’ head coaching gig, so there seems to be interest in him already.

McVay deservedly gets a lot of praise for being an excellent coach, but it’s the way that he treats players and his peers that sets him apart, too.