​The Los Angeles Rams had so much success with 12 and 13 personnel in 2025 that in many ways Sean McVay once again revolutionized the NFL and set trends for the following season. That was good for last season, but could it really work for McVay’s Rams next season, now that the league knows what to expect from L.A. when they put two or three tight ends onto the field in 2026?What’s McVay’s next trend, not his last trend?AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWarren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis did an interview with Awful Announcing on Tuesday and was asked, “If the Rams don’t reach the Super Bowl, what went wrong?” His answer does bring up an important point of remembering that McVay needs to do what’s unexpected again, not what’s expected.Sharp thinks the biggest thing that could hold the Rams back is not being able to just replay what worked last season:Warren Sharp: “They entered last season using more two-tight-end sets. When they suffered some injuries at the receiver position, they started using even more three-tight-end sets. Now the rest of the league knows what’s coming to a degree. The rest of the league knows that Sean McVay has made a pivot from the highest rate of 11 personnel to the highest rate of three-tight-end sets. That is kind of a card he’s already played. He’s not going to be able to play again this year. So all the other teams, like your Seattle Seahawks, from teams that he’s going to play on the schedule outside his division, know what’s coming. So that’s mainly the prime thing. Defensively, they added people in the secondary. They obviously added Myles Garrett. It’s hard to replicate what he did last season.”The Rams ranked first in 13 personnel usage in 2025 (30.5% of plays), more than double the 13 personnel rate of second-place Pittsburgh Steelers at 14.5%.On those plays, L.A. led the NFL with an EPA of +77.4, which is just a massive number if you’re not familiar with Expected Points Added.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Rams also averaged 4.8 yards per carry and 6.2 yards per play out of 13 personnel.Not only do the Rams bring back Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, and Terrance Ferguson, but they also drafted Max Klare in the second round. So despite Sharp’s hesitations to see more 12 and 13 from McVay, there is no indication that he plans to dial back his usage of tight ends.It’s only a question of whether or not all five make the roster.This method also helps relieve the Rams of needing a third receiver as badly as other teams do, which was apparent when $10 million man Tutu Atwell stopped getting snaps.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt would therefore be surprising if what the L.A. Rams do next season is utilize players like Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield far more than expected. What would that mean for Ferguson and Klare?Despite what Sharp says, we should expect the Rams to lead the NFL in 13 personnel again. They’ve made the investm