The Los Angeles Rams will have a new offensive coordinator in 2026 as Mike LaFleur was named the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. There are several directions that the Rams could go on the offensive side of the ball, with many of those options being in-house. The presumed favorite at this time would be Nate Scheelhaase. With that said, Dave Ragone will be considered as well.
Scheelhaase may be the foreseen favorite, but Ragone is an intriguing option. Ragone was a quality control coach for Washington back in 2015 when McVay was the offensive coordinator. The two have a prior relationship together. Ragone worked up the ranks and served as the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 until 2023. When Ragone wasn’t retained, he took Zac Robinson’s place as the Rams’ quarterback coach.
As the Rams go through their interview and hiring process, I’ll be doing deep dives on the potential candidates. Earlier this week, I looked at Nate Scheelhaase. Today, we’ll do a deeper analysis of Dave Ragone.
Ragone was hired in 2023 as the quarterback coach, replacing Zac Robinson. He has also worked closely with Matthew Stafford over the last two years. Under Ragone, Stafford has had two of his best back-to-back seasons and arguably just had his best season in the NFL. There’s a good chance that Stafford wins the coveted MVP and Ragone has played a role in that. It’s also worth mentioning Stetson Bennett’s progress after stepping away for a year.
Unlike Scheelhaase, Ragone also has previous coordinator experience at the NFL level under Arthur Smith. Ragone didn’t call plays for the Falcons and they only ranked 26th in EPA per play in 2021 and 2023. However, in 2022 they were 12th.
Despite the low rankings, working under Smith allowed Ragone to diversify his coaching network. After starting under Chris Palmer and then working for McVay, Ragone went back to the Mike Munchak coaching tree under Dowell Loggins with the Chicago Bears and Matt Nagy. Ragone was then retained under Mark Helfrich and Bill Lazor who came from the Joe Gibbs and Mike Holmgren coaching trees. He then spent three years under Arthur Smith. Like Ragone, Smith spent time in Tennessee with Mike Munchak who has served as a consultant with the Rams since 2023.
Ragone is only 46 and has learned from a wide variety of offensive systems. It’s very possible that some of the things that the Rams were running out of 13 personnel this season came from Ragone and his time in Atlanta while working with Smith. In 2023, the Falcons ran 8.3 percent of their offensive plays out of 13 personnel. That was the third-highest rate in the NFL. Their 0.28 EPA per pass was tied for the sixth-best. This past season, the Rams averaged 0.50 EPA per pass out of 13 personnel which ranked fifth.
Under Ragone, the Falcons also had one of the best two-running back offenses with Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. It was very similar to how the Rams use Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. The running schemes themselves came from Arthur Smith. However, Ragone still got to learn under one of the best when it comes to designing a run game.
Ragone’s past offensive coordinator experience, the relationship that he’s built with Stafford over the last two years, and ability to bring new ideas to the table is something that McVay could value. It’s what makes Ragone an intriguing candidate to consider. His ability to connect with players is also something that McVay will look at. Said Arthur Smith in 2022,
“I’ve got a lot of faith in Dave. That’s the good thing about having Dave down (on the field rather than the press box, where he was last year)…I can just go ‘Dave, get the offense together, and get them going.’ Dave’s done a terrific job with that, and it’s why I’ve got a lot of faith in our staff…We have a really good working relationship, and I think Dave’s doing a terrific job. It’s nice, where I feel like I can be the head coach (rather than coordinator as well). Dave can say things, and then when Dave does it, he’s got his own style to it – it’s impactful, it’s important.”
The system that Ragone worked under in Atlanta is very similar to how the Rams operate. McVay may be the primary play-caller, but a lot is still expected of the offensive coordinator when it comes to collaboration. With the Rams heading into a 2026 season with a lot of pressure to win, it could make more sense to go with experience. If that is the case and the Rams want to maximize one more year of Stafford, Ragone may be the best man for the job.
See More:
