Before the Los Angeles Rams hired Sean McVay to become the head coach of the team, he was the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders. His tenure from 2014-2016 did not capture the attention of everyone, as the offense was 13th-ranked in 2014, 17th-ranked in 2015, and third-ranked in 2016. So, how did he seem to solve the maze of offensive challenges? One of the key elements to that team's success and development was the presence of two tight ends named Jordan Reid and Vernon Davis.
That same offense held formidable 6-foot-0, 211-pound WR Pierre Garcon, swift 5-foot-10, 175-pound WR DeSean Jackson, and 5-foot-9, 177-pound WR Jamison Crowder. To handle the ground game, the team had 6-foot-0, 229-pound running back Robert Kelley and 6-foot-2, 239-pound running back Matt Jones.
While the Rams have an entirely different cast of characters, it may behoove fans to check out how that 2016 Washington football team's offense cooked. After all, the same offensive genius who engineered that offense is now constructing the Rams' offense for 2025. And by the sound of Rams GM Les Snead, that 2016 offensive template is where some of the inspiration was found for the selections during and after the 2025 NFL Draft:
The addition of Terrance Ferguson opens the door to the team's offense resuscitating the 12-personnel chapter of the playbook. After all, the Rams had Tyler Higbee, Davis Allen, Hunter Long, and Colby Parkinson available towards the end of the 2024 season, and seldom opted for two tight ends. But now, the arrival of rookie TE Terrance Ferguson allows the team to embark on new offensive adventures.
Or so says Rams GM Les Snead:
"We have a really good Tight End room with a lot of veterans..
We really like Terrance Ferguson the player and the person" ~ Les Snead #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/f3mZKLpRat— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 29, 2025
As Snead shared: "They (the Washington Commanders) did a lot of 12 personnel, so maybe we'll add a little bit of that to our repertoire."
Of course, we have heard the Ram's plans to innovate before. But this time feels different. The Rams truly have a tight end in Terrance Ferguson who can run routes, catch passes, and become a red zone target in this offense.
There is a lot of work to do in the meantime. Ferguson has to prove worthy of taking the field with the offense. And the offense itself has to prove that it can be productive with two tight ends on the field at the same time. But the plan is clearly to get a robust 12-personnel package in play. That is music to my ears.
As always, thanks for reading.
