NFL Teams Chase Rams Tight End Formula

The Rams gave the NFL a fresh problem in 2025: defend a formation built on three tight ends without knowing whether the next snap would pound the ball or stretch the field.

That success has started to ripple across the league. Reports indicate teams took notice of how Los Angeles used 13 personnel — one running back, one wide receiver and three tight ends — to force defenses into uncomfortable choices. A tight end-heavy Day 2 in the draft only sharpened that focus, suggesting front offices see value in bigger, more flexible offensive groupings.

The appeal is simple: three tight ends can make one formation look like several different offenses at once.

The idea sounds easy to copy, but the challenge runs deeper than collecting bodies at one position. The Rams appear to have made the package work because it created stress before the snap and discipline after it. Defenses had to match size with size, then react to motion, blocking shifts and route combinations that could punish the wrong personnel on the field. Other teams can mimic the structure, but they still need the coaching, timing and roster fit to make it matter.

That tension will define the next phase of the trend. If more offenses lean into heavy sets, defenses will spend the offseason building answers, from hybrid defenders to new coverage rules against compressed formations. Sources suggest the copycat effect has already begun, but league trends harden only when several teams prove the concept survives outside its original system.

What happens next matters because the NFL never stands still for long. If tight end-heavy football keeps producing efficient offense, roster building could tilt toward versatile blockers and pass catchers instead of pure specialists. If defenses close the window, 13 personnel may settle back into a situational tool. Either way, the Rams have already changed the conversation, and the league now has to decide whether this is a passing phase or the shape of the next offensive wave.