Play-caller
- Calls plays: Sean McVay (HC) — confirmed incumbent: McVay "remains the play-caller and guiding mind of the offense" after the 2026 staff reshuffle; hiring Kingsbury/promoting Scheelhaase "doesn't mean McVay will relinquish play-calling duties in 2026" (LAFB Network, 2026 offseason; therams.com 2026 coaching-staff announcement, fetched 2026-07-07). OC turnover is real but cosmetic to the caller: Mike LaFleur left for Arizona; Nate Scheelhaase promoted to OC (from pass-game coordinator), Kliff Kingsbury hired as Assistant HC (ex-WAS OC), Dave Ragone QB coach/associate coordinator (therams.com, "Rams' 2026 coaching staff set", fetched 2026-07-07).
- Tenure with team: 10th season as HC/play-caller (therams.com, 2026) · Prior relationship with QB1: 6th season with Stafford (2021 SB LVI together)
Last 3 play-calling stops (McVay has called LAR's plays since 2017 — rows are his last three seasons):
| Stop (team, yrs) | PROE | Neutral pass% | Sec/play (neutral) | Motion% | PA% | 11 / 12 / 21% | Condensed% | RB tgt share | WR1 TS | Inside-10 pass% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAR 2025 | +6.0% (3rd) per FantasyLife/nfelo-family charting; nfelo table shows +3.0% (provider methods differ — both pass-tilted) | UNVERIFIED (raw pass rate 59.7% — nflverse pbp_summary, pulled 2026-07-07) | UNVERIFIED (65.0 plays/gm — nflverse) | 50.6% (FTN via nflverse, pulled 2026-07-07) | 32.7% of dropbacks (FTN via nflverse) | 59.3 / 9.5 / — (13 pers. 30.2% — nflverse participation, pulled 2026-07-07) | UNVERIFIED | 11.0% (nflverse receiving.csv) | 28.6% — Puka Nacua, 166 tgt in 16 gm (nflverse) | UNVERIFIED |
| LAR 2024 | −3.0% (t-19th); −1.6% neutral (14th) (nfelo via FantasyLife, fetched 2026-07-07) | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED |
| LAR 2023 | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED | UNVERIFIED |
Read: McVay 2025 made an intentional philosophical shift pass-heavy (PROE from −3.0% in 2024 to top-3 in 2025 — FantasyLife/nfelo, fetched 2026-07-07) while simultaneously going TE-heavy: 30.2% 13 personnel (four-TE room) with only 59% 11 personnel — WR3 snaps are gated hard, and the passing volume concentrates on two WRs + the TE room. Motion (50.6%) and PA (32.7%, elite band) remain the McVay signatures; RB targets (11.0%) are bottom-band — receiving value for RBs is capped by design. With the whole skill core returning and Kingsbury/Scheelhaase layered under the same caller, expect continuity, not reinvention.
Scheme family
- Run scheme: wide/outside zone base (McVay/Shanahan tree) with duo/gap mixed from the heavy 12/13 sets — RB fits: one-cut, vision-first backs; Kyren Williams and Blake Corum both fit; the 5.6 adjusted-line-yards unit (FTN, 2025) inflates any back's efficiency.
- Pass-game family: Shanahan/McVay tree — high motion (50.6%), elite PA rate (32.7%), condensed looks, intermediate in-breakers and YAC engine (FTN via nflverse, pulled 2026-07-07). Implications: slot/YAC profiles feast (Nacua's role is the archetype), mid aDOT (9.1 — nfelo, fetched 2026-07-07), WR1 target share can run huge (28.6% in 2025); the 30% 13-personnel rate makes the TE room fantasy-relevant in aggregate but splits it four ways, and it kills the WR3.
