The Los Angeles Rams are doubling down on continuity — and evolution — within Sean McVay’s offensive ecosystem.
Los Angeles has promoted Nathan Scheelhaase from pass game coordinator to offensive coordinator, replacing Mike LaFleur after his departure to become the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach. Quarterbacks coach Dave Ragone adds the title of co-offensive coordinator, while veteran play-caller Kliff Kingsbury joins the staff as an offensive assistant.
The result is less a reset and more a layering of ideas — something McVay has long valued as part of the Rams’ coaching pipeline.
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A Promotion Years in the Making
Scheelhaase’s rise has been deliberate. McVay originally recruited him out of Iowa State Cyclones in 2023, offering what amounted to a step back in title to gain NFL experience. He began as an offensive assistant and passing game specialist, helping script plays and build weekly game plans.
Now, he steps into a role that has historically served as a springboard to head coaching jobs across the league.
At just 35, Scheelhaase is already viewed as one of the NFL’s ascending offensive minds, having interviewed for multiple head-coaching opportunities this past cycle.
McVay has been vocal about why.
“We’ve been really fortunate to have Nate,” McVay said. “He’s a great coach, a rare communicator, and incredibly sharp. His perspective is big-picture. He makes everyone around him better.”
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What Scheelhaase Brings: Structure, Space, and Schematic Marriage
On the latest Rams LAFB Show, it was highlighted how internally anticipated this move has been:
“Retaining Nate Scheelhaase — I don’t know how familiar everyone is with him, but he comes out of Iowa State and has been on this staff the last couple of years. It feels like he’s trending toward stepping into the official offensive coordinator role, which is probably something that’s been in the works internally. What should Rams fans know about him?”
Analyst Cody Alexander pointed to the evolution of the modern college game as a key influence on Scheelhaase’s approach:
“I don’t think people fully understand what that Iowa State system is, or what the Big 12 has become. A lot of fans are still anchored to the 2010s version of that league — the wide-open, pure spread era. But it’s evolved into more of a hybrid style. You’re seeing 12 personnel, tighter structures, and concepts that actually marry really well with what Kliff Kingsbury has done offensively. That’s probably why this pairing makes sense.”
“Scheelhaase comes from a gun-centric system that uses 12 personnel, and when you turn on tape of what that offense looks like in the NFL, you can see the overlap. The marriage is there schematically.”
Alexander emphasized that Scheelhaase’s reputation inside coaching circles is built on detail and adaptability:
“Everyone you talk to also mentions how cerebral he is. He’s one of those classic ‘card-drawer’ coaches — the detailed strategist who’s worked his way up and understands the system inside and out.”
And perhaps most importantly, his background injects spacing concepts often emphasized more heavily in the college game:
“One thing college offenses do really well is search for space. The NFL can get condensed — formations get tight, windows get tight — and sometimes you forget that if you spread people out, you can create isolation and manufacture easier throws.”
That philosophy is particularly appealing with a veteran quarterback still playing at an elite level.
“And when you have a quarterback like Matthew Stafford — the kind of guy other quarterbacks love to watch — giving him those answers can be huge.”
Production Already Speaks to His Influence
Even before this promotion, Scheelhaase’s fingerprints were all over the Rams’ 2025 offensive explosion.
Matthew Stafford delivered an MVP season, throwing for 4,707 yards and 46 touchdowns.
Davante Adams led the league with 14 receiving scores.
Puka Nacua paced the NFL with 129 receptions.
Nacua credited Scheelhaase’s organizational command for helping align the entire offense week to week:
“His ability to communicate what our job is on Wednesday through Sunday is something that I’d say has been a blessing in our room. His ability to understand how we operate, but then also to be on the same page as the quarterbacks, be on the same page when the groupings have changed from 13 personnel to 11.”
“He’s done a great job every step of the way of making sure everybody is on the same page.”
Enter Dave Ragone: A Run-Game Counterbalance
While Scheelhaase’s background leans into spacing, structure, and pass-game architecture, Ragone’s history adds a complementary dimension rooted in physicality and efficiency.
During his time coordinating the Atlanta Falcons offense (2021–2023), Ragone operated a West Coast-based system built on:
- Quick, rhythm passing is designed to stretch defenses horizontally and create yards after the catch.
- Heavy outside-zone run principles, forcing defenses to flow laterally and opening decisive cutback lanes.
- Multipositional personnel usage, moving skill players across alignments to create matchup stress.
- Tight end versatility, deploying them in-line, in the slot, and as backfield movers to manipulate fronts.
The results reflected a clear identity. Atlanta finished near the top of the league in rushing production in 2022, validating the zone-based philosophy, even while quarterback instability limited the vertical passing output.
Ragone also experimented with structural tweaks — including shifting to the press box for a broader defensive view — to improve in-game adjustments and spacing.
In Los Angeles, that background could help balance a pass-heavy McVay system with more sequencing in the run game and personnel multiplicity.
A Three-Layered Brain Trust
The addition of Kingsbury adds yet another lens — Air Raid spacing, tempo variation, and quarterback-friendly answers — to an already diverse staff.
Alexander summed up how difficult that combination could be for opposing defenses:
“So the combination of Nate Scheelhaase, Kingsbury, and Sean McVay is really intriguing. From a defensive perspective, that’s a staff I’d love to sit in on, because you know there are going to be a lot of ideas being layered together.”
Continuity Without Complacency
The Rams are attempting a rare coaching balance: maintaining the language and infrastructure of McVay’s system while introducing new answers for an offense transitioning into its next phase.
Scheelhaase now helps lead offensive meetings and will expand into run-game planning, signaling trust not just in his concepts, but in his ability to connect every layer of the operation.
McVay has made clear he views that trait as the separator.
“The great ones redefine what that is because they do a little bit more and they’re just a little more intrinsically motivated,” McVay said. “I think this guy’s a special coach… He is a rising star, without a doubt.”
For a Rams team returning its offensive core and armed with significant draft capital, this isn’t merely a promotion — it’s an intentional recalibration of how the offense will evolve around Stafford and the next generation of playmakers.
In typical McVay fashion, the Rams aren’t changing the system.
They’re expanding it.