Rams rookie could break out late in camp with veteran injured

The Los Angeles Rams continue to revolutionize tight end usage in the NFL, with their 13-personnel offense influencing how other teams construct their rosters. The team used its tight end depth to create physical mismatches against modern-day defenders, allowing Matthew Stafford to utilize his arm talent and ability to operate play action to guide the offense downfield.

That personnel group could run block, too, leading to opportunities to attack the outside with the pass. Since teams had to dial in on the run, Stafford picked defenses apart as they were forced to run obvious coverages. The Rams’ heavy tight end usage is expected to expand in 2026. That could hinge on Terrance Ferguson breaking out as the “Travis Kelce” of the Rams’ offense.

In order for that to work, the team needs a traditional hand-in-the-dirt tight end. They have that in Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee. However, both are veterans, with Parkinson set to be a free agent after the season.

The team drafted Ohio State tight end Max Klare this offseason, and the hope is that he’ll be that every-down tight end they need to run their entire offense. Backup tight end Davis Allen, who plays that role sparingly, is dealing with a quad injury and will be out for “some time.”

“He’s got a little soft tissue, like a quad,” Sean McVay said of Allen. “We’ll be day-to-day with him, week-to-week, but we’ll give him some time. You don’t want to rush him back. He’s played a lot of football and it’ll give some of these other tight ends an opportunity to get snaps that they wouldn’t otherwise, but Davis is going to be a big part of what we do this year.”

Davis played a several roles last season. His work as a blocker paved the way for a revamped rushing attack, with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum benefiting greatly. With Allen expected to miss time, this should provide the media and fans a first look at Klare and where he’s at in his development.

He might be a rookie and the Rams’ TE5, but he’s on the doorstep of playing meaningful snaps. He’s a more traditional tight end, which opens up a lot of opportunities for him. Plus, Higbee and Allen have documented injury histories. Even if they play most of the season, there’s a good chance Klare will see the field a lot more than Ferguson did as a rookie.

When Higbee went down last season, the Rams’ 13-personnel offense came to a halt. As a result, their entire offense suffered just enough to pick up losses down the stretch. That killed the team’s momentum and is the reason they played on the road in the NFC Championship Game.

McVay won’t deal with a deficit on offense this year, and if Allen remains out, we could see early on whether Klare is a weak link due to his lack of experience, or he could just be the gem of the draft.

I think he’s the latter. I said it once, and I’ll say it again. Ferguson will have an amazing career in Los Angeles. However, his role will be a unique one. As far as a pure tight end goes, Klare will end his career as the greatest in franchise history. That’s my take anyway.

This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams rookie could break out late in camp with veteran injured