Get this, the NFL's caught in a total copycat game, right? One year it's all about spread offenses, the next it's ground-and-pound. But for 2026, the big trend rocking the league is all about huge personnel packages. We're talking 12 and 13 personnel, two and three tight ends, and offensive coordinators are just eating it up. It's been building for seasons, and this year, it's gonna hit peak levels. While everyone else is piling up tight ends, some teams are bucking that trend, and it's creating some serious mismatches around the league.
The Big Guns Come Out: Why Defenses Are Sweating
Sean McVay and his Rams really kicked this off, making 12 and 13 personnel all the rage. Why? Because defenses have been living in nickel formation forever, throwing an extra cornerback out there. These multi-tight end sets force defenses into an impossible choice. Do they stick with their nickel group, keeping that extra cornerback on the field, and risk getting absolutely bullied into submission by a power run game behind those bigger bodies? Or do they pivot to a base defense, swapping out that cornerback for a third linebacker, giving up speed and opening up the deep pass game to target those rarely used 'backers? It's genius, really: offenses are essentially running against pass defenses and passing against run defenses. Talk about picking your poison for every snap.Seattle's Part of the Defensive Revolution
But defenses aren't just taking it lying down. This surge in tight end usage is actually sparking some serious innovation on the other side of the ball. We're seeing teams deploy these hybrid players, guys who are kind of an undersized linebacker or an oversized safety. This positionally "androgynous" slot defender role is popping up everywhere, placing a do-it-all player right in the mix. These guys are exactly what teams need to counter these new offensive looks. You see guys like Caleb Downs in Dallas, and get this, Nick Emmanwori in Seattle, are shining examples of this exact type of player across the league. It's wild how quickly the league adapts, right? This adjustment means less of a premium on traditional slot cornerbacks, those shifty coverage specialists, which are becoming rarer by the day. It just makes sense if the top teams are leaning on multi-tight end packages so much. So what happens when defenses are scrambling to shut down these multi-tight end sets? They become less equipped to deal with dominant three-receiver offenses. That's the flip side of the coin. The Cowboys, for example, are sticking to their guns with 11 personnel to a very significant degree. In 2025, they ranked second in the league in 11 personnel EPA/play, deploying this three-receiver set 66.43 percent of the time. For 2026, that number is only expected to increase with Ryan Flournoy emerging as WR3. Their trio of CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Flournoy may be the best receiver group in the NFL. All three are at least 6-foot-1, 200 pounds. Each one can play multiple receiver spots, win 50-50 balls, and make plays after the catch. It's almost impossible to match up against that when your defensive unit is built for two-tight end looks. The smart money says teams will be watching this chess match of offensive and defensive strategies evolve all season. What adjustments will we see next? You know it's going to be wild.This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.