Ravens coaching candidate pros and cons: Nate Scheelhaase
The Baltimore Ravens have interviewed 12 different candidates for their open head coaching position, but the next name on the list is quite intriguing. Los Angeles Rams Pass Game Coordinator Nate Scheelhaase will interview for the gig, and he’s a wild card to say the least.
You couldn’t ask for more potential upside, as the 35-year-old Davenport, Iowa, native is arguably the fastest-rising coach in the game today. The numbers produced by the Rams’ passing offense speak for themselves, and Scheelhaase is a huge part of that.
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He’s drawn interest from multiple NFL teams, both for head-coaching and offensive-coordinator positions. The division rival Browns interviewed Scheelhaase, who has become a “hot commodity” to say the least, on Friday.
After only one season in the NFL, 2024, when he served as a Rams Offensive assistant and passing game specialist, he was already drawing interest for OC jobs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers staged a virtual interview with Scheelhaase last offseason. All this despite the fact that the highest position he’s ever held, at any level of football, was offensive coordinator at Iowa State for the 2023 season.
He’s never been a head coach at any level of football, and his biggest weakness is obvious: inexperience.
Scheelhaase is obviously a risk/reward hire, as he represents a dichotomy of astronomical potential vs. a relatively thin CV. However, the idea of Lamar Jackson, the greatest dual-threat quarterback that the game has ever seen, being coached by a former dual-threat QB himself is a captivating concept.
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To this day, Scheelhaase is the University of Illinois’ all-time leader in total offense (10,634 yards total, 8,568 passing, 2,006 rushing). He’s also second in Illini history in single-season completion percentage (66.74% in 2013), career pass completions, and career completion percentage.
Additionally, Scheelhaase is third in school history in career passing yardage and touchdown passes.
While he didn’t have a professional playing career, Scheelhaase delivered results during his collegiate career, winning bowl games in his first two years as a starter and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors his senior season.
He also demonstrated tremendous leadership during his playing days, serving as a four-year starter in Champaign. He also understood, even back then, that a football team is much more than the assembled talent they have on hand.
“You can’t rely on talent and just think that we have better players, better athletes and we’re just going to go out there and win,” Scheelhaase said in an exclusive with The Sports Bank prior to his senior season.
“I think it comes down to what your about as a team, as one unit going forth. And I think we learned that.”
The Ravens tied for the league lead in players selected for the Pro Bowl in 2025. They were a trendy preseason pick to win the Super Bowl because several media outlets believed they had the most talented roster in the league.
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Yet they finished 8-9 on the year. So maybe the next Ravens coach needs to be somebody who truly understands football team Gestalt (being more than the sum of your parts)? Is Scheelhaase really that guy?
Or is he too green for this gig? The next logical step for him is to take an OC job (that gig is also currently open in Baltimore), not a head coaching job.
However, you never know what NFL front offices are truly thinking during this process.
This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Nate Scheelhaase is a high risk/reward candidate for Ravens head coach