The Opening Drive 1/28: Browns Stalemate; More On Nate Scheelhaase
The Browns remain locked in deliberation/negotiation and background on Scheelhaase.
The Browns seem to be locked in an internal discussion or battle over who will be the next coach. We know Jimmy Haslam’s intention to keep Jim Schwartz on the staff, and it seems that Schwartz and his agent are pushing for the head coaching position. The process itself led Andrew Berry to Nate Scheelhaase, and the lack of news about his name suggests he is still being discussed as an option. At this point, it feels like Haslam wants to have it both ways and is trying to find a way to make both parties happy, including his own GM, who is looking to hire Scheelhasse.
As of their return from Los Angeles on Monday night, it felt like things had swung back towards Schwartz, but with no real news all day Tuesday, they are clearly still contemplating the best course of action. This reeks of a power struggle between Haslam and Berry, though I don’t know that to be fact. We can only hope that Haslam’s almost unrealistic desire to keep Schwartz in the mix doesn’t mess up a potentially strong offensive hire in Scheelhasse.
While we wait, here is more on Scheelhaase.
The Basic Profile: Who Nate Scheelhaase Is
Nate Scheelhaase is currently the Pass Game Coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, operating inside Sean McVay’s system and day-to-day offensive infrastructure. Before that, he served as the Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Iowa State in 2023, which is where his candidacy separates itself from many “young coach” options: Scheelhaase has actually been the one holding the sheet and running an offense.
Scheelhaase was born Nov. 8, 1990, and his football roots trace back to his time as a quarterback at Illinois, where he started for multiple seasons and developed a reputation for toughness and competitiveness. He did not come up through the traditional NFL entry points like analytics, quality control, or a lifelong assistant track. He’s a former quarterback who transitioned early into coaching, climbed quickly, and is now landing on short lists as the league searches for modern offensive minds with real leadership potential.
His Coaching Path: A Fast Rise With Real Substance
Scheelhaase began his coaching career at Illinois, his alma mater, and those early opportunities matter. College football paths often reveal who believes in you when you’re still proving yourself.
From there, he joined Matt Campbell’s staff at Iowa State, staying long enough to take on multiple responsibilities and widen his offensive toolkit. He coached across several offensive position groups instead of being boxed into a single lane. That flexibility helped him rise, and it also made him someone the NFL could view as more than a specialist.
Scheelhaase was promoted to Offensive Coordinator for the 2023 season, giving him the direct experience of organizing the full offense and living with the results every week. After that season, he made the jump to the NFL, joining the Rams and working under McVay in an environment that carries serious weight around the league. He’s now listed as the Rams’ Pass Game Coordinator, a title that reflects trust and responsibility inside one of the most studied offensive staffs in football.
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What He’s Known For: The Traits That Keep Showing Up
Scheelhaase’s rise is rooted in a combination of modern offensive background and the ability to teach. He’s not being framed as a “clipboard genius.” He’s being framed as someone who understands the entire system, can communicate it, and can lead it.
People around the league have credited Scheelhaase with high-level football intelligence and strong ownership of the game from a film perspective. That kind of reputation isn’t handed out easily. Coaches earn it when others believe they’re legitimately moving the needle in weekly preparation and game planning.
That matters for the Browns, because Cleveland isn’t shopping for a clever play designer. They’re looking for structure, development, and direction, and they need someone who can hold up when the job moves from football into leadership.
Offensive Philosophy: What It Suggests About His Style
There isn’t one famous “Scheelhaase quote” that perfectly summarizes his offensive ideology, but his résumé tells the story. He comes from a background that blends Big 12 spread concepts with NFL passing-game structure, often pointing toward an offense built on spacing, rhythm, and quarterback-friendly concepts. At Iowa State, he gained full offensive control as OC. With the Rams, he’s embedded in a system known for timing, sequencing, and manipulating defenses with formations, motion, and route structure.
This is the type of profile that fits modern football, where offenses have to create efficiency without requiring a superstar quarterback to win every snap. He’s aligned with the league-wide trend of making things clearer for the quarterback, more connected for the offense, and more stressful on defenses.
The Honest Questions
The upside is obvious, but there are legitimate questions that come with Scheelhaase as a head coach candidate. The biggest one is résumé length. He has one season as a true offensive coordinator in college and is still early in his NFL climb. That doesn’t mean he can’t do the job. It just means there’s less evidence on paper than with more traditional candidates.
The second is the CEO part of the job. Being a head coach means building a staff, managing personalities, handling conflict, overseeing all three phases, and setting the culture. The Browns can interview Scheelhaase and love what he says, but the real question is whether he can command an entire building the moment he walks in.
That’s what makes him a bet. Not a reckless bet. A calculated one.
Browns Film Breakdown will return soon with some fresh content.
