LOS ANGELES — On first-and-goal from the 3-yard line, the Rams rolled out in 13-personnel, a three-tight end set. Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson were in line next to right tackle Rob Havenstein, with Davis Allen to the left side of the line.
The New Orleans Saints responded to the heavy personnel with 10 men in the box, hoping to stop what they expected to be a run. When Allen went in motion to the right side of the line, this seemed to confirm the Saints’ suspicions as their safeties and linebackers shifted with Allen.
All this attention on the three tight ends left wide receiver Davante Adams alone to the left of the formation, so wide he was outside the numbers. A quick stutter step and a slant route later, he was rolling into the end zone, the cornerback in coverage unable to even make attempt on the ball.
“It’s a number games, right? So if you’re going to stop one thing, you would think offensively, you’ve got the pen in your hand, you can do the other,” Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “So if you load the box, you have opportunities on the outside with Davante amongst all our other guys. If you want to play a little bit softer, having the ability to be in 13-personnel and be effective running the football. Obviously that was a numbers game on that particular play and [quarterback Matthew Stafford] and Davante made it come to life.”
It’s been a training camp question asked so many times in Rams circles that it’s become something of a running joke. Is this the year the offense finally utilizes more 12- and 13-personnel? The question begged repeating after drafting Allen in 2023, signing Parkinson as a free agent in 2024 and then again this summer after the Rams used their top draft pick on Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson in the second round in April.
No one has asked the question expecting the Rams to abandon head coach Sean McVay’s preferred 11-personnel, frequently referred to by players as “our bread and butter.” But would the Rams diversify their packages to put more pressure on defenses?
The answer in 2025, at last, has been yes, but the way in which the Rams have deployed additional tight ends has still been a surprise. The Rams still rank in the bottom quarter of the NFL for 12-personnel deployment. But after running 13-personnel on just three snaps in 2024, the Rams have run 67 plays of three-tight end sets in 2025, the second most in the NFL.
The Rams also rank second in estimated points added (EPA) in 13-personnel this season, with 0.49 EPA per play on passing plays. On all dropbacks this season, the Rams average 0.245 EPA per play.
“What’s been cool for us is the guys have leaned in,” McVay said. “They’ve done an excellent job. I give [tight ends coach Scott Huff] a ton of credit for us to be able to do as many different things as we’ve done, particularly in the last two weeks. It’s obviously been very fruitful for our offense as a whole. I’m happy for those guys.”
Sometimes, the personnel is used to target the tight ends themselves. The Rams were in 13 on Higbee’s touchdown in their victory against the Saints on Sunday. With Allen in motion behind the line, the Saints all bit on the play action and allowed Higbee to slip through into the end zone uncovered.
Other times, it benefits a receiver like Adams on the outside with a one-on-one.
“Usually bigger personnels have heavy run stuff,” Higbee said. “And I think that speaks volumes again toward our tight end room, having the versatility and the guys to present some of those bigger looks but have the athleticism to be out there and run some of the schemes that we might run in 11-personnel.”
As Higbee said, it only works if the Rams feel they can trust all four tight ends in any situation. Parkinson was signed as a run blocker, and Allen and Ferguson entered the NFL as pass catching specialists.
But Allen and Ferguson’s growth in run blocking has been one of the coaching staff’s favorite storylines the last two years. And all four tight ends have caught passes in each of the last two games, with Parkinson leading the team in receiving in Week 7.
“They’re smart, they’re tough, they’re good dudes, they’re versatile,” LaFleur said. “All four of the guys – it’s like, who do you want here? And it’s like, I have trust in all four of them. And I should say ‘we’ have trust in all four of those guys in all the phases: Protection, run game and the pass game. Each one has their own little uniqueness to them, but all four are versatile and can do what I just said.”