Rams' next move as Mike LaFleur leaves for Cardinals is painfully obvious

The Los Angeles Rams may have thought they could escape the 2026 offseason without losing any of their top assistants after the Pittsburgh Steelers moved away from their Chris Shula pursuit, but that dream went up in smoke when offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur agreed to become the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

LaFleur may not have called plays in Los Angeles, and his two-year stint in charge of the New York Jets' offense left much to be desired, but the Cardinals were all too eager to hire their own piece of the Sean McVay tree for themselves.

The Rams are now left without an offensive coordinator after this move, which means they need to act quickly to promote one of their best internal assistants in order to keep the offense operating at the same level that nearly brought them to the Super Bowl.

That promotion should be handed to passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase to the role LaFleur used to occupy. Doing so would keep business as usual, even with a division rival nabbing one of the best young offensive coaches in the NFL.

Rams must promote Nate Scheelhaase to OC after Cardinals hire Mike LaFleur

Scheelhaase may be just 35 years old, but he has long been regarded as one of the best young offensive minds in the NFL. Even in a non-play-calling role, that proximity to McVay has proven to be more than enough to get LaFleur, Liam Coen, and Zac Taylor head-coaching jobs in the past.

Part of the reason McVay and the Rams remain one of the best offenses in the league every year is the pipeline of qualified assistants they can bring in to replace outgoing ones. Losing LaFleur might be a death knell for most teams, but the Rams don't operate like most teams.

With Scheelhaase already getting interest from both rebuilding teams like the Cleveland Browns and contenders like the Buffalo Bills, it seems like the league may value him as an even brighter offensive mind than LaFleur. A promotion to lock him in as the OC would be extremely justified.

Rather than an external hire that could serve as a bit of a wrench in the middle of this smooth operation, the Rams can be proactive instead of reactive by making sure Scheelhaase is put in an exalted place, even if he may end up following LaFleur to the head coaching ranks.