The Los Angeles Rams have received a lot of credit for morphing their offense into a tight end-heavy group, characterized as 13-personnel. But Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson’s skill set is a key reason why the Rams were able to take that approach.
It paid off in a big way for head coach Sean McVay and Co.
Heading into his second season, after showing what he could do down the stretch following a slow start, Ferguson could again fill a unique role for the Rams.
Rams’ Terrance Ferguson Expected to Continue ‘Hybrid’ Role
GettyThe Los Angeles Rams could again look to use tight end Terrance Ferguson in unconventional ways.
The Rams selected Ferguson with the 46th overall, using their first selection of the 2025 draft after trading out of the first round.
Ferguson, 23, finished the season with 11 receptions for 231 yards and 3 touchdowns. He got most of his production in two multi-week bursts, largely remaining quiet through the rest of the regular season, while notching a 1-19-0 line on nine targets in the postseason.
The Athletic’s Nate Atkins believes the “unique” TE will again hold a “unique role.”
“Ferguson struggled to see the field early last season because the transition at tight end is so difficult in a complex offense such as the Rams’, and he came in with a noticeably raw build and blocking technique. When his role expanded down the stretch, it was notable that it looked more like a replacement version of Tutu Atwell than the Rams’ more traditional tight ends like Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen,” Atkins wrote on June 18, noting Ferguson’s 21.0 yards per catch.
“He was a seam stretcher in an offense that was living in two- and three-tight-end sets. He was basically a tight end and wide receiver hybrid.”
Atkins went on to say “that’s what he’ll probably be this season, but with a larger role,” even with the Rams re-signing Tyler Higbee and drafting Max Klare while retaining Allen and Parkinson, the latter of whom paced the group in 2025.
Ferguson lined up in the slot 120 times and was in line 195 times, per Pro Football Focus.
Those splits could skew in the other direction in 2026, given how the Rams have built out their pass-catching corps.
Reality Check About WR3 Bodes Well for Terrance Ferguson
GettyTerrance Ferguson could be poised to be the Los Angeles Rams’ de facto WR3.
Atkins argued that “Ferguson has some of the best breakout potential of current Rams players who haven’t done so yet,” and that he would ideally finish third behind Davante Adams and Puka Nacua in the major receiving metrics.
Part of that, Atkins argued, is the lack of a true replacement for Atwell between CJ Daniels, Jordan Whittington, Konata Mumpfield, and Xavier Smith.
Meanwhile, Klare gives them another more traditional tight end.
Rams legend Torry Holt is in the camp of letting Whittington, a sixth-round pick in 2024, handle the duties, but the Rams have shown a lack of trust in him in that regard.
Ferguson is an unconventional option for a team’s third wideout, but he may be the best one for the Rams, whose passing offense is again expected to run through Adams and Nacua while also utilizing a pair of versatile running backs in Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
Rams Expected to Take ‘Unique’ Approach With Dynamic Former Top Draft Pick