LOS ANGELES — The Rams had just finished their first week of training camp. They hadn’t even put pads on yet, but tight end Tyler Higbee – the second-longest tenured member of the team – could see the vision.
“This is the best tight end room I’ve been a part of it,” he said. “Hopefully get some more 12-, 13-personnel on the field. We’ve got to prove that we can do it and make the offense go with what it is out there.”
In Week 1, the Rams (1-0) started putting some of that vision on film. In the 14-9 win against the Texans, the Rams ran 12-personnel – or, a two-tight end set – 42.11% of the time, the fourth-highest in the NFL in Week 1. Just for some perspective, the 24 snaps of 12-personnel the Rams deployed last weekend is 14.8% of last year’s total of 162 in 19 games, including the postseason.
And the Rams utilized the grouping in interesting ways.
Sometimes they’d go ground-and-pound with the two tight ends operating as sixth and seventh linemen, a more traditional use for the grouping, or by motioning a tight end from out wide into the box to act essentially like a pulling guard.
The Rams then used the threat of the run to create openings in the pass game. Twice with both tight ends inline, the Texans put eight men in the box. This opened up quick outside throws to receivers working one-on-ones. And then selling the run on a play-action in the red zone freed tight end Davis Allen up for a touchdown in the third quarter.
“I think they felt like it was run and I was lucky enough to get behind them,” Allen said of the play. “We’re loving [the amount of 12-personnel]. Hopefully we can do as much as possible, as much as [head coach Sean McVay] needs us to do it.”
Even on obvious passing downs, 12-personnel put a different kind of stress on the Texans. On one second-quarter play, Colby Parkinson motioned from inline to outside of Puka Nacua, drawing cornerback Derek Stingley out to cover him instead of the Pro Bowl receiver. This helped free Nacua up for a 24-yard gain into the red zone.
McVay in January talked about wanting to create a more “versatile” offense, and the Week 1 deployment of 12-personnel was a first sign of what that might look like. Make no mistake, 11-personnel will always be the bread and butter of a McVay offense, and the coach said usage of any grouping is matchup dependent and could vary week to week.
But by adding this as a more regular weapon, the Rams put pressure on defenses both on Sundays and in the week leading up to a game.
“You only have so much time in the day. Whether it is prep or prep from a schematic standpoint as coaches from a meeting and then going on a grass,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur explained. “The more that you can present from a personnel standpoint, the more you present out of that personnel, in theory the harder it is. It was good to get that out there. It’s not like we’re forcing it either. We feel like that’s the best thing for our current team and our roster to get some of those guys out there in those situations.”
Whether the Rams can continue that evolution Sunday against the Tennessee Titans (0-1) remains to be seen. Parkinson (AC sprain) is doubtful to play in Week 2, and his ability to block effectively is a big reason why 12-personnel works for the 2025 Rams.
But if he is unable to play, that could open the door for rookie Terrance Ferguson to get some action. The second-round pick did not play a down of offense in Week 1 after he missed a few weeks of training camp and two preseason games with a groin injury.
McVay said Parkinson’s absence could lead to more Ferguson against the Titans, but also acknowledged the rookie is still making up for that lost time in August.
“We ask so much of our tight ends and they’re really part of all three different phases in terms of protection, run game and the pass game. So there’s a lot on them,” McVay explained. “I think it’s just continuing to develop as a complete player, that’s what we’re really looking for and that’s consistent with all of our tight ends.”
RAMS (1-0) at TENNESSEE TITANS (0-1)
When: 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV/Radio: CBS (Ch. 2)/710 AM; 93.1 FM; 1330 AM (Spanish); Sirius 388, 233
