Rams fill NFL's final OC vacancy with a perfect candidate fans are sure to love

The Los Angeles Rams lost former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur when he accepted the vacant head coaching position of the Arizona Cardinals. But the team took its time in filling his opening. Perhaps it was out of respect for their new offensive coordinator, Nate Scheelhaase, who was busy interviewing with other NFL teams for a head coaching position.

But patience has paid off. LA has the ideal offensive coordinator. And Los Angeles managed to fill another coordinator position by promoting from within.

Of course, some fans may be skeptical. After all, what business does an offensive assistant turned pass game coordinator have getting the top offensive job for the team? So glad you asked. After all, he was hired inconspicuously in 2024, and many fans did not pay much attention to his career.

But we did. And that vigilance has paid off. It was less than a year ago that we noted him as a rising NFL coaching star and urged readers to keep him on their radar. Now that prognostication has unfolded into a new offensive coordinator. So what should fans know about him?

Why is Nate Scheelhaase the right guy for the OC role?

The simple truth is that he is a master of communicating plays and responsibilities to players in such a way that it's easily demonstrated on a football field. But there is much more to the offensive coordinator role than a guy who gives a solid sales pitch.

(1) He was incredibly effective at Iowa State

No NFL offensive coordinator succeeds for very long unless he can reach his players. That is no problem for Scheelhaase, who quickly transformed Iowa State into an offensive powerhouse. He propelled the Cyclones offense from 20.2 points per game to 26.2 points per game. He managed that by improving the team's efficiency in the Red Zone (31 of 33).

Coincidentally, that same transformation happened with LA's offense in 2025.

(2) He prepared QB Brock Purdy for the NFL

Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, but has become the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers. That was no accident. Scheelhaase coached up Purdy, preparing him for the rigors of professional football.

Now, Los Angeles is in the market for a young quarterback to step into the shoes of veteran Matthew Stafford at some point. It makes sense to have the guy at the helm who managed to transform a young prospect into a seasoned NFL veteran.

(3) He translated McVay's schemes into football plays

Head coach Sean McVay knows the value of an offensive assistant. He filled that role as Kyle Shanahan's assistant with the Washington Commanders years ago. And the role has been the incubation chamber for NFL head coaches, via the offensive coordinator role.

The feature video from ESPN NFL reporter Sarah Barshop (shown below) was shared by ESPN reporter Jeremy Fowler. While just a short snippet of what Scheelhaase does, it does add the perspective on how this role has been handed down from one coach to the next.

Like any management track, the LA Rams succeed because they value the learning curve of doing first, then managing second. After a year of long hours compiling plays into diagrams for players to read and understand, Scheelhaase is ideally suited to work with McVay in a more complex manner.

So now the question is, who will be hired to draw up the plays for Nate Scheelhaase in 2026?

As always, thanks for reading.