The Rams, reports indicate, are promoting Nate Scheelhaase, and all 32 teams now have their offensive coordinators in place for the 2026 season.
Scheelhaase, who’s only 35, was the passing game coordinator for the Rams last year. He interviewed with five teams for head coaching positions, making it seem like he’ll probably be getting his chance at a top spot next year if LA’s offense continues to roll. Teams like hiring young coaches who have worked with Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan.
As things stand, 14 teams have offensive coordinators who will also call plays.
Five teams in this coaching cycle hired offensive coordinators who’ve been head coaches in the past – Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll, Nathaniel Hackett, Matt Nagy and Frank Reich. There is one holdover who fits that profile – Josh McDaniels.
Four teams hired offensive coordinators who’ll call plays but have no play-calling experience (at the college or pro level). In the chart below, those OCs are tagged with black dots. All have notable offenses – Seahawks, Eagles, Ravens, Commanders. With three of those teams, they have defense-oriented head coaches.
One of the coaches, Mike Macdonald, indicates he’s not worried about Brian Fleury’s ability to replace Klint Kubiak. Fleury, Macdonald notes, has spent the last seven years with the 49ers, who run a similar offense. In San Francisco, Fleury (pictured) worked with both Kubiak and Sam Darnold.
My ballpark list of play callers appears below. It’s an attempt to order the offenses 1 thru 32 based on their ability to design and call successful plays. The teams aren’t ordered by expected production (the Lions are down in the bottom 10, which won’t be happening).
In a general sense, I sure like the top five, which includes long-time greats McVay, Shanahan and Sean Payton. I’ve seen enough out of Ben Johnson and Liam Coen the last two years that I’m ranking them ahead of Josh McDaniels and Andy Reid.
The Chargers, at 11th, are my highest-ranked team that has a new play caller (Mike McDaniel). I’ve got three of the new head coaches – Kubiak, Todd Monken and Joe Brady – slotted in the middle of the pack.
| OFFENSIVE PLAY CALLERS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Team | Play caller | Coach or OC |
| 1. | LA Rams | Sean McVay | Nate Scheelhaase (OC) |
| 2. | San Francisco | Kyle Shanahan | Klay Kubiak (OC) |
| 3. | Chicago | Ben Johnson | Press Taylor (OC) |
| 4. | Denver | Sean Payton | Davis Webb (OC) |
| 5. | Jacksonville | Liam Coen | Grant Udinski (OC) |
| 6. | New England | Josh McDaniels (OC) | Mike Vrabel |
| 7. | Kansas City | Andy Reid | Eric Bieniemy (OC) |
| 8. | Minnesota | Kevin O'Connell | Wes Phillips (OC) |
| 9. | Green Bay | Matt LaFleur | Adam Stenavich (OC) |
| 10. | Indianapolis | Shane Steichen | Jim Bob Cooter (OC) |
| 11. | LA Chargers | Mike McDaniel (OC) | Jim Harbaugh |
| 12. | New Orleans | Kellen Moore | Doug Nussmeier (OC) |
| 13. | Dallas | Brian Schottenheimer | Klayton Adams (OC) |
| 14. | Las Vegas | Klint Kubiak | Andrew Janocko (OC) |
| 15. | Cleveland | Todd Monken | Travis Switzer (OC) |
| 16. | Tennessee | Brian Daboll (OC) | Robert Saleh |
| 17. | Buffalo | Joe Brady | Pete Carmichael (OC) |
| 18. | Cincinnati | Zac Taylor | Dan Pitcher (OC) |
| 19. | Carolina | Dave Canales | Brad Idzik (OC) |
| 20. | Atlanta | Tommy Rees (OC) | Kevin Stefanski |
| 21. | Tampa Bay | Zac Robinson (OC) | Todd Bowles |
| 22. | Pittsburgh | Mike McCarthy | Brian Angelichio (OC) |
| 23. | Houston | Nick Caley (OC) | DeMeco Ryans |
| 24. | Detroit | Drew Petzing (OC) | Dan Campbell |
| 25. | Seattle | • Brian Fleury (OC) | Mike Macdonald |
| 26. | Arizona | Mike LaFleur | Nathaniel Hackett (OC) |
| 27. | Miami | Bobby Slowik (OC) | Jeff Hafley |
| 28. | Philadelphia | • Sean Mannion (OC) | Nick Sirianni |
| 29. | Baltimore | • Declan Doyle (OC) | Jesse Minter |
| 30. | Washington | • David Blough (OC) | Dan Quinn |
| 31. | NY Jets | Frank Reich (OC) | Aaron Glenn |
| 32. | NY Giants | Matt Nagy (OC) | John Harbaugh |
—Ian Allan
