Per the report, the Los Angeles Rams’ midseason switch from 11 personnel to 13 personnel after Puka Nacua’s ankle injury reshaped offensive thinking around the NFL, and a tight end–heavy Day 2 of the 2026 draft suggests other teams intend to follow. The report says that swing to three-tight-end groupings coincided with a dominant win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and helped the Rams transform their season.
The report says McVay faced limited receiver depth when Nacua was ruled out for the London game against the Jaguars; Davante Adams remained the primary wideout while Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield offered only limited options at the time. McVay’s answer was to move away from his customary one-running-back, three-wide-receiver sets and into jumbo groupings with one running back, three tight ends and one wide receiver.
The report notes the change was striking given McVay’s long history of relying on 11 personnel. It says McVay’s teams lived in 11 personnel during the 2018 shootout with the Kansas City Chiefs and used 11 personnel at an exceptionally high rate that season. Since McVay became coach in 2017, six of the 10 highest single-season 11-personnel usage rates came from his Rams, and the team was second in 11 personnel usage in 2024 at 82.4 percent, per the report.
Per the report, part of the rationale for McVay’s offense has been roster construction and concept design: the Rams have sought wide receivers who can block like Cooper Kupp and Nacua so plays in 11 personnel can operate without giving away pre-snap or personnel tells. The report credits that philosophy with allowing the Rams to pivot into larger groupings without a collapse in effectiveness.
The report says other clubs are taking note after a tight end–focused draft weekend in 2026, but it cautions that McVay’s offense was the only one that succeeded by frequently going jumbo last season. Teams considering similar pivots will need to master the same personnel and schematic details that made the Rams’ approach work, per the report.
