LA Rams: Why is 12-personnel package more tempting than ever?

Aloha Jacob Harris

Finally, the LA Rams have already begun to start the buzz about the rookie tight end, or is he a wide receiver, no wait.. tight end Jacob Harris. Harris is the 6-foot-5 211-pound rookie who leads an entirely new type of offensive weapons for the team. You can throw 6-foot-4 245-pound Brycen Hopkins and 6-foot-3 224-pound wide receiver, Ben Skowronek, into that mix as well.

Unlike the Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Trishton Jackson mold of solid speed, solid footwork, great routes, Harris is a fast tall athletic-style receiver who will fight for and win contested catches. He is the guy who the Rams believe can get downfield faster, but who can come out of a scrum with possession of the football.

While Harris and Skowronek are rookies, Hopkins is returning for his second season after being redshirted for his entire rookie season. Hopkins was not alone, as rookie receiver Trishton Jackson and rookie running back Xavier Jones were benchwarmers as well. Rookie running back Raymond Calais did see some action on special teams, and rookie receiver Van Jefferson was seldom used until Cooper Kupp missed games late in 2020.

Harris, Hopkins, and Skowronek are a bit unique to this Rams offense because they are less finesse and more physical receivers. They mark the team’s efforts to get more scoring, as they will likely be deployed more frequently in red zone offensive packages.  That is not to say they will be exclusive to within the 20-yard line. Simply that in smaller areas to work in, the Rams will need to attack defenses with multiple strategies.

Two tight-end sub-packages are no longer limited to short-yardage rushing attempts. This year, and with the players currently on the roster, the Rams will need to explore attacking defenses in a variety of ways.