If you’ve followed the Rams at all for the last four years, you’re probably aware of the fact that Sean McVay loves using 11 personnel. That grouping puts one running back, one tight end and three receivers on the field together, a package he’s used 85% of the time this season.
He’s mixed in some 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends, two receivers) in the last couple of years, but his bread and butter is 11 personnel.
If there’s ever been a time for McVay to change things up, though, it’s now.
After the Rams added Odell Beckham Jr. on Thursday, they’re now rich with talent at wide receiver. They can very easily go four-deep at the position with Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson and Beckham – and they should.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Rams haven’t run a single play in 10 personnel (1 RB, 0 TE, 4 WR) this season. In total, they’ve only had four or five receivers on the field at the same time for five total plays in 2021. That’s a tiny, tiny amount.
McVay would be doing his offense a disservice if he doesn’t expand his scheme to include more four-receiver sets. With how often the Rams utilize 11 personnel, they’re going to be forced to keep Kupp, Woods, Jefferson or Beckham on the sideline more than any team should. They’re all impactful starters and deserve playing time, but they can only get on the field together if McVay deploys more 10 and 01 personnel.
Having Matthew Stafford in the shotgun with Darrell Henderson Jr. next to him and Kupp, Woods, Jefferson and Beckham out wide isn’t something any defense wants to deal with. They can run it out of that package with the way the offensive line is playing and how well their receivers block, but they can very easily throw it all over the field in those situations, too.
The Rams already have the foundation of a four-wide offense to build on. They utilize more empty sets than any other team in the NFL, often splitting Henderson out as a receiver and leaving Stafford alone in the backfield.
Watching some #Rams, they use a lot of empty sets. Turns out, they do it more than any team in the NFL (19%). #49ers defense better come up with some answers quick there. They're 30th in the NFL in opponent QBR (88.6) and 31st in yards per attempt (10.3) allowed vs. empty.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) November 10, 2021
Empty sets are even easier to use when you have four starting-caliber receivers at your disposal, which is why it’s so critical for the Rams to take advantage of the depth they have at wideout – something they didn’t do nearly enough when DeSean Jackson was in the mix.
McVay has tried to get away from using 11 personnel on every snap by getting tight ends more involved, but now he has to go the other direction by implementing more four-receiver packages – especially with Johnny Mundt out for the year, limiting the Rams’ ability to use 12 personnel.
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