Rams roster has a logjam at 2 positions, but don't look for a quick solution

I - Tight end position

The first stop on this Rams magical mystery tour is the team's tight end position. The team has carried as few as two tight ends on the active roster in the past, but typically three tight ends have been the norm. This year, the Rams have committed to carrying three tight ends on the active roster, starting (but injured) tight end Tyler Higbee on Injured Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform, and one more tight end on the practice squad.

The game day use of tight ends simply did not warrant so many tight ends on the roster. But the expectation was that, once tight end Tyler Higbee was activated from IR, the team would adjust the active roster to normalize a depth of three players.

Well, TE Tyler Higbee is back, and he turned his first reception of 2024 into a thrilling touchdown for the Rams:

But the Rams roster retains all four tight ends, plus one tight end on the practice squad. So what gives?

One possible explanation could lie in the fact that while uncommon, the Rams offense wants to retain an option for its two-tight-end offensive package. Per Lineups.com, the Rams have leaned into their 12-personnel offense at a rate of 15 percent or more of the offensive snaps in six games. Not surprisingly, the Rams have won all six games. The Rams deployed the 12-personnel formation at 15 percent of the offensive snaps in Weeks 3, 7, 8, 9, 11, and 16. If you examine the final score of those games, you will find that the Rams are undefeated in those games.

Will the Rams continue to use two tight ends sparingly? Even with the return of starting TE Tyler Higbee, the offense continued to employ a rapid rotation, sending each of the four tight ends onto the football field for as few as 12 offensive snaps and for as many as 19 offensive snaps.

The Rams currently boast: TEs Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, and Hunter Long on the active roster. The team continues to develop TE Nikola Kalinic on the team's practice squad. The team did part ways with TE Miller Forristall in November 2024 with an injury settlement. But he remains an option to return to the team in 2025.

In terms of depth for 2025, the Rams are projected to lose veteran TE Hunter Long at the end of 2024 due to an expired contract.

I'm not demanding that the Rams commit to using two tight ends. I'm not even asserting that the Rams run better with two tight ends on the football field. I'm simply pointing out the obvious. The Rams have not lost a game when the offense uses two tight ends in at least 15 percent of the offensive plays.

So, that means that the team is 3-6 when they do not use two tight ends. You decide: Which is the better strategy?