Terrance Ferguson's performance will blossom into redemption or invite doom

The Los Angeles Rams are a bit creative this season. The team has compensated for injuries to a limited number of wide receivers by flooding the football field with more and more tight ends. Head coach Sean McVay has a robust history of deploying tight ends in his offense. But he had not revealed many tight end innovations since taking over.

Circumstances changed in 2025, and McVay changed to accommodate the new parameters.

The arrival of rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson has been a small step in that direction, but it has proven to be a giant step in a new direction. With his presence, the team has unleashed a Kraken of three tight ends, a 13-personnel formation that resembles the offense of the Baltimore Ravens.

Since Week 6, the Rams have gone with three tight ends on more than a third of the offensive plays. And with the team struggling with just four healthy wide receivers right now, it's hard to imagine the offense not sticking with that trend to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Better still, the Bucs are not particularly effective at defending multiple-tight-end offenses.

Still, the strategy does not come without risk. The offense was rather pedestrian against a very formidable Seattle Seahawks defense. It mustered just 249 offensive yards, 130 passing yards, and a ridiculously light time of possession of just 22:11. It was not the type of offensive showing that a playoff-bound team puts on display.

It's now or never for Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Prodding Los Angeles for its intentions of using rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson feels like being a child in the backseat of a car, wondering when the trip is over. Fans have been encouraged to believe that Ferguson is the next franchise tight end. But 11 targets and five rece[topms for 138 yards and one touchdown.

If he is the face of the future, the future is rather bleak.

It needn't be that way. Rookies need work to gain experience. At some point in time, this offense has to pause and give Ferguson a workload that represents his future role. How can he practice hard until he knows what's at stake? It's time to give him a test drive.

While the shroud of uncertainty obscures what can be expected, several indicators suggest a very positive outcome. When targeted, he catches the football. And he puts up huge chunks of yardage. He is a deep ball threat, averaging 27.6 yards per catch. Deep passes are inherently less accurate.

The team needs to get on track for the postseason. It's too late for rookie wide receiver Konata Mumpfield and running back Jarquez Hunter. But Ferguson is at the cusp of a meaningful role. He simply needs a larger share of the offense. And Week 12 provides the perfect testing grounds to see how well he can handle that.

As always, thanks for reading.