Former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks knows the ins and outs of this league, providing keen insight in his notebook. In today's installment, he examines five teams that have the muscle to get in on a potent offensive trend ...
After watching several teams torment opponents with formations featuring multiple tight ends last season, I'm expecting to see even more "big boy" football this fall. The sensation sweeping the league has offensive coordinators urging team builders to stock the roster with a diverse collection of tight ends that will lead to more 12 (one RB, two TEs, two WRs) and 13 (one RB, three TEs, one WR) personnel packages on the call sheet.
Multiple tight end sets have long been a part of the game, going back to the days of Raymond Chester and Dave "The Ghost" Casper dominating opponents in the 1970s for the Raiders. More recently, the Patriots showed the football world how a dynamic duo at the position can light up scoreboards with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez starring in interchangeable roles that created mismatches all over the field for Tom Brady.
Fast forward to 2025, when the Rams' clever utilization of multiple tight end formations, particularly with three tight ends on the field, seemed to blow the minds of defensive coordinators. The unique personnel grouping poses several problems for defenses due to the "heavy" look. It can force opponents to keep their base defensive personnel on the field against a diverse collection of blockers and playmakers. Additionally, head coach Sean McVay can deploy a few traditional and overload formations that create extra gaps at the line of scrimmage, opening up the running game when defenders do not properly align or fill their assigned gaps at the point of attack. With personnel and formation diversity creating mismatches against lumbering linebackers or undersized defensive backs who struggle to handle the unit's size, strength or speed, the Rams were able to dictate the terms of the game with their three-TE package.
I anticipate some copycats will attempt to mimic the Rams' clever tactics, and defensive coaches should prepare accordingly. Last season, the Browns, Falcons, Ravens, Raiders, Packers, Bears and Giants used 12 personnel on at least 32.5% of their offensive snaps. Meanwhile, 13 tight ends finished 2025 with at least 600 receiving yards, and 11 tight ends posted 60-plus catches (Arizona's Trey McBride led both categories with a 126-catch, 1,239-yard season). Team-builders further signaled their commitment to the position in the 2026 NFL Draft, when 21 tight ends were selected. The draw is obvious: elevating the passing game with more basketball-type athletes who can also enhance the ground attack with their size and blocking skills.
Given the changing landscape, I wanted to survey the league and rank the top five tight end groups, looking forward to which teams are best positioned to lean into this trend.
The Rams' collection of tight ends lacks star power, but the group's diverse skill sets and complementary games make it nearly impossible to defend the 12 and 13 packages Sean McVay features on the call sheet. The offensive wizard shook up the football world with his clever use of multi-tight-end sets, sparking a revolution that has defensive coordinators burning the midnight oil as they craft game plans to stop the Rams' big-bodied passing game.
Colby Parkinson (6-foot-7, 266 pounds), Tyler Higbee (6-6, 253), Terrance Ferguson (6-5, 252) and Davis Allen (6-6, 253) combined for 103 catches, 1,128 yards, and 17 touchdowns while creating and exploiting mismatches all over the field. Throw in second-round pick Max Klare (6-4, 246) and it's clear few defenses possess the linebackers and safeties to properly match up with the Rams' supersized tight ends. With McVay presumably spending the offseason crafting unique play designs from heavy formations, this deep and talented tight end corps will continue to create problems in 2026.
New head coach Joe Brady grew up in a coaching tree that utilized tight ends to create mismatches in space, and we've seen him lean heavily on the Bills' 12 personnel package to help Josh Allen flourish over Brady's time as Buffalo's offensive play-caller. Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid combined for 75 catches, 988 yards and nine touchdowns last season, despite Kincaid missing five games due to multiple injuries, including . When healthy, the duo is a unique mix of big-bodied pass-catchers with receiver-like skills who can operate interchangeably on the perimeter. Moreover, they can take turns playing the No. 1 role as Allen's favorite target between the numbers and down in the red zone.
Brady will try to elevate the aerial attack this year with offseason addition DJ Moore installed as the WR1, but the coach should continue to lean on Knox and Kincaid to anchor the passing game as reliable chain movers who can dominate between the hashes. And don't discount Jackson Hawes; yes, he does the dirty work in the running game as a traditional Y, but the big-bodied bully tallied three touchdowns as an underrated red-zone threat in 2025. Given the unit's talent and depth, the Bills have assembled a crew that can wreak havoc on foes this season.
It's rare for a play-calling savant to inherit a "football robot from heaven" in their first head-coaching job, but that's exactly what the Raiders have provided Klint Kubiak, based on the way he recently described Pro Bowl tight end Brock Bowers. The 2024 first-round pick can align anywhere on the field as a Flex tight end, from out wide to the slot. And his game is perfectly complemented by trusty sidekick Michael Mayer, who also displays TE1 skills and excels at playing attached to the hip of the offensive tackle. The dynamic duo is tailor-made to thrive in a multiple-tight-end offensive scheme, giving Kubiak a chance to build the passing game from the inside out, with the QB targeting these big-bodied pass-catchers (Bowers checks in at (6-4, 235 pounds, and Mayer at 6-4, 256) between the hashes.
Just consider their career numbers: Bowers has amassed 176 catches, 1,874 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over 29 games (24 starts) from 2024 to '25, while Mayer has pitched in 83 catches, 788 receiving yards and three touchdowns over the past three seasons. The Raiders have the potential to unleash a truly dominant 12 personnel grouping that serves as a real headache-maker for defensive coordinators around the league.
Caleb Williams' spectacular sophomore season can be partly attributed to the Bears' success in utilizing 12-personnel packages. Head coach Ben Johnson is on the verge of transforming Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet into an unstoppable pair that will force defensive coordinators to make tough decisions when attempting to slow a diverse offense with big-play threats all over the field. The TE tag team makes it nearly impossible for opponents to utilize bracket or double-coverage tactics on the perimeter, which should only help ascending WR1 Rome Odunze create even more problems.
In 2025, Loveland (6-6, 241) and Kmet (6-6, 257) combined for 88 catches, 1,060 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. The duo should easily surpass those numbers this season, presuming more balls will head in their direction as Johnson continues to torment his play-calling foes by further embracing 12- and 13-personnel in his creative scheme. With third-round pick Sam Roush (6-6. 267) capable of stepping in as the TE3, the Bears have an emerging juggernaut with their big bodies on the field.
The Steelers' inclusion on this list might surprise some observers, but Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are two gritty TEs who excel at knocking defenders off the ball on running plays. With a pair of effective edge blockers in the lineup, the Steelers can create big-play opportunities on the ground on various off-tackle plays and sweeps.
OK, so the duo lacks pizzazz when it comes to putting up receiving numbers; Freiermuth and Washington combined for 41 catches, 486 yards and four TDs last season, with a good chunk of targets going to Jonnu Smith, who was released in March. But they are adept chain-movers (with a combined catch rate of 74.2% and 37 receiving first downs in 2025) who can expand the strike zone for Aaron Rodgers while perfectly complementing DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman on the perimeter. Collectively, Freiermuth and Washington have the potential to help Mike McCarthy build out a ball-control offense that accentuates his veteran quarterback's strengths as a quick-rhythm passer, while also setting the table for a punishing running game. And that merits a spot on this list for the Steelers' tight end group.
