Lingering Questions: Goodbye, 11 Personnel?

Nearly everyone expected the Los Angeles Rams and Sean McVay to add another receiver this offseason behind Puka Nacua and late-career Davante Adams. Materially speaking, they did not.

That’s not to say that LA didn’t have a chance to add another starting-level receiver. They instead opted not to.

The Rams could have targeted a mid-tier free agent like Romeo Doubs, Jalen Nailor, Tyquan Thornton, Olamide Zaccheaus, or others. LA focused on defense and special teams by adding Jaylen Watson, Grant Stuard, and a long snapper.

Infamously, USC WR Makai Lemon was on the board when LA was on the clock in the first round at 13th overall. The team maintains they attempted to trade back, but ultimately stayed and picked quarterback Ty Simpson. It was immediately evident that the Rams felt compelled to stay aggressive with their future draft picks after selecting their signal caller of the future. They could have traded back into the first round for, say, Omar Cooper. They stayed pat.

And to throw fuel on the fire, the Rams drafted Max Klare on day two—marking back-to-back draft classes with tight ends in the second round (Terrance Ferguson in 2025).

Convention is telling us Los Angeles needs a third receiver. The team doesn’t seem concerned at all.

If we are reading the tea leaves, are the Rams planning to shift away from their historical usage of 11 personnel under McVay? Is this now primarily a 12 and 13 personnel team?

Our first sign of a potential change cam in the playoffs, where the third receiver was on the field 50% less than they were in the regular season:

If the Rams are at least in 12 personnel—meaning that (two of) Ferguson, Allen, or Higbee are on the field with Parkinson, then one of the receivers must come off. These complimentary tight ends were on the field more often than the reserve receivers in Whittington, Mumpfield, and Smith. The tight ends also saw more targets. We can conclude the overall usage numbers are roughly the same, but that is still a significant takeaway for what could be in store for the 2026 Rams.

This isn’t the same offense we are accustomed to that will operate primarily out of 11 personnel. The third receiver role was devalued by more than 50% in the playoffs, and that is the benchmark we should be using into next season.

The Rams could also lean further into their tight end usage now that Ferguson will be more experienced in year two and with the addition of second round draftee Max Klare. This would further diminish the production potential for the receivers after Nacua and Adams.

Yes – it seems the Rams have a hole at WR#3. This is no longer the same offense. It doesn’t make sense for the Rams to pay a premium for a third receiver when they could be on the field at least 50% less often in 2026.

LA has changed their way of thinking. We need to update our outlook too.

Even if the Rams deploy tight ends more often than wide receivers in 2026, I have concerns.

Nacua and Adams are no stranger to injuries. We also cannot assume that late-career Adams will produce at the same level he did a season ago. It’s a stark drop off from LA’s top two targets to the likes or Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith, Konata Mumpfield, and CJ Daniels.

And while LA are predominant Super Bowl favorites according to the betting markets, they are certain to trail late at some point this season. It’s difficult to lead a comeback without sufficient firepower on offense. Will the decision to invest more heavily in tight end than receiver come back to bite the team late in games? Do you trust Whittington or Mumpfield to make catches and keep games alive?

One fortunate development that should help alleviate these concerns are the utilization of TE Terrance Ferguson, who cannot slot squarely into a traditional depth chart. Ferguson seems to be as much of a receiver as a tight end, especially considering he played in the slot on 50% of his passing snaps a year ago:

Ferguson may also be the answer to the Rams’ question at third receiver behind Nacua and Adams. He aligned in the slot on every one of two passing snaps he saw last year. He aligned as a traditional tight end roughly 25% of the time and then out wide the other quarter of his reps.

This helps explain why LA dipped into the tight end pool in the second round again this offseason. Max Klare is stylistically closer to Tyler Higbee than he is Ferguson, and at this point Ferguson may be considered more of a receiver than traditional tight end. He doesn’t slot squarely into a conventional depth chart.

If this alignment continues, Ferguson will become one of the more interesting young offensive weapons around the NFL. Defenses will see that the Rams have two or three tight ends on the field and send out additional safeties, defensive linemen, or linebackers. That will spell trouble against Ferguson, who could be as lethal as a receiver and stresses the deep areas of the field.

This is the conundrum that Sean McVay hopes to put defenses into. Ferguson may be his secret tool to tip their hands and force them into disadvantageous looks.

For a player who held a minimal role on offense last year, Ferguson could be the key to fully unlocking the Rams’ offense in 2026.

The Rams and Sean McVay told us at nearly every turn this past offseason that they will no longer be a primarily 11 personnel team, barring an improbable breakout by one of their reserve receivers. The future of offenses in LA will be centered around the tight end position. The Rams continue to invest heavily and are signaling a significant schematic shift in 2026.