The Los Angeles Rams lost one of Sean McVay’s top assistants when the Arizona Cardinals hired Mike LaFleur to be their new head coach.
That created an opening at offensive coordinator, which the team filled by promoting former passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase.
For Scheelhaase, it’s his first opportunity to hold the role at the NFL level. He has been on the rise for several years now, interviewing with numerous teams for their head coach and offensive coordinator jobs.
LaFleur discussed the Rams’ promotion of Scheelhaase and believes he will do a great job in his new title, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I’ve been on record there in L.A. a lot just talking about what I feel in Nate Scheelhaase, so that was a no-brainer,” LaFleur said at the NFC coaches breakfast Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting. “Obviously, he’s prepped for that. He sat in with Sean and I in a handful of game planning (meetings) and stuff like that, so he kind of knows what that 3 a.m. wake up call looks like Wednesday through Friday. But he’s a stud of a coach. He’s a better person. He’s a better connector than he is even a coach, and that’s strong, and he’s going to do a great job for them.”
LaFleur praised Scheelhaase for his work ethic and being an excellent communicator:
“I’ve seen him grow and he grows because he puts a lot of work in it,” LaFleur said. “He’s a tireless worker and he doesn’t even look tired ever. I don’t think he sleeps that much, but you would never know. He is extremely efficient with his note taking, with his learning, with studying around the league, but not overloading himself. He has incredible brain power to reach back into stuff that we talked about in April, stuff that I forgot about that he can remember. That’s all awesome. He can communicate to these players, but again, overall he’s a better person. He’s a great husband, he’s a great father, he is a great friend. Love him, love seeing the success he’s had so far.”
Scheelhaase first joined the Rams in 2024 as an offensive assistant after one year as Iowa State’s offensive coordinator.
He has done nothing but impress since arriving to L.A. and could once again emerge as a head coach candidate next offseason if he leads the Rams offense to success in 2026.
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