Could Sean McVay utilize ‘pony’ personnel in Rams offense for the first time?

Will the Rams and Sean McVay look to draw inspiration from Liam Coen’s ‘pony’ personnel?

Throughout the Sean McVay era, the Los Angeles Rams have primarily been an 11 personnel team. However, following a season in which the Rams were one of the least explosive, especially in the run game, there is a growing feeling that changes are coming. The Rams released wide receiver Cooper Kupp in the offseason and then drafted the ‘F’ tight end that McVay has been wanting. After struggling to find explosives in the run game, the Rams also drafted Jarquez Hunter who had a higher career explosive run rate in college than Ashton Jeanty.

It’s very possible that we could be getting a fourth iteration of the McVay offense and it revolves around how the Rams are going to replace Kupp in the offense. In 2017 and 2018, McVay’s offenses revolved around the wide zone and play action off of that. When Stafford arrived in 2021, the Rams became much more of a spread team that excelled in empty formations. Over the past season and a half, the Rams have relied on more gap scheme runs while also introducing some pistol formations and also getting back under center.

Following the 2024 season, McVay seemed to understand that the offense needed to make changes. For the first time under McVay, the Rams offense struggled to create explosives which are key in the modern NFL. A less explosive Kupp hurt the explosive potential in the passing game while the Rams run game had an explosive run rate of 1.8 percent. Said McVay after the season,

“I think the biggest thing is there would be a little bit more versatility. How do you utilize the offseason and how are you making yourself more versatile from a personnel perspective or from a run variety perspective? Those are the things that I’m excited to be able to dive into. I was talking to Liam Coen the other day. One of the coolest things that I think is reflected about what a great job he did was you’ve got a background and then when you watch them evolve with Bucky Irving and the way they ran the football and some of the variety and personnel groupings, I thought that was a cool reflection of maybe we think we’re going to do that and then what you evolved into if you’re able to understand that the best coaches adjust to their players.”

The key part of what McVay says here is, “How are you making yourself more versatile from a personnel perspective or from a run variety perspective?”

Prior to last year, the Buccaneers run game ranked last in yards per rush in the previous two seasons. In 2025, it was a unit that finished third. Under Coen, the Buccaneers leaned heavily into counter and trap runs. A key aspect of this was the utilization of 21 or ‘pony’ personnel. Said Joshua Queipo of The Pewter Report in October of last year,

“One of the wrinkles that has helped create explosives for Tampa Bay has been Coen’s use of 21 personnel…Given that both running backs are plus players in the pass game, defenses have yet to figure out how to best match up with the Bucs’ unique package. And this has yielded incredible results. Thus far most of the Bucs’ plays out of these sets has involved one or more of the backs in the backfield with the other motioning into the backfield or at the snap.”

In 21 personnel packages, the Buccaneers averaged 7.7 yards per carry which led the NFL. They also had an explosive run rate of 9.3 percent which was third while having a 65 percent success rate on gap runs. While passing out of this formation, Baker Mayfield completed 24-of-26 passes with four touchdowns with a passer rating of 147.6. The Buccaneers offense averaged 0.42 EPA per play out of 12 personnel, including an astounding 0.25 EPA per rush.

While this wasn’t necessarily a staple of the Buccaneers offense, it was an added twist that paid dividends and something that Coen could sprinkle in when needed. The Buccaneers ranked 10th in 21 personnel rate with 68 total plays or 6.2 percent.

From the Rams perspective, it could be a way to not only get more explosive, but also be part of the plan to replace Kupp in the offense. Much like when the Rams had to replace Aaron Donald last season, that was never going to be done with one player. Instead, general manager Les Snead replaced Donald in the aggregate with four players drafted inside the top-100. It took Jared Verse, Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske, and Byron Young to replace the impact that Donald had on the Rams defense.

It’s possible that the Rams do some of the same when replacing Kupp and what he did in the offense. In other words, what if we’re thinking about how the Rams are going to replace Kupp wrong?

The Rams drafted Terrance Ferguson with the 46th overall pick and it’s likely that Ferguson does some of the Kupp things as a bigger ‘F’ player in the offense. Instead of Kupp at 205 pounds taking on a linebacker, it will be Ferguson at 247 pounds. He’ll be able to replace some of what Kupp did as a blocker and be a move tight end who can find the holes in zones. In the passing game, he’ll be able to work the same choice routes against linebackers that Kupp excelled at.

With that said, it’s very possible that the Rams do incorporate more 12 personnel into the offense. However, what if there is an element to this, especially in the run game, that we’re missing?

Throughout McVay’s tenure, 21 personnel has simply not been used in the offense. Since 2018, the Rams have run exactly three plays in 21 personnel. It may seem unlikely that it would be introduced in year nine of McVay, but what the Rams head coach mentioned at the end of the season when talking about the Buccaneers also can’t be ignored.

There’s also the Jarquez Hunter element to this. The Rams traded up and drafted Hunter in the fourth round. He was a player that they showed conviction on and Snead called him “my favorite running back” while McVay said “that’s the guy I want.” Hunter seemed to fit exactly what the Rams were looking for in the position during the draft process.

While they had a need at running back, it’s a position that they may have been able to wait on until later in the draft. They drafted Blake Corum just last season and have been reportedly moving towards signing running back Kyren Williams to an extension. Is it possible that running backs become more involved in the offense?

In 2021, no wide receiver ran more routes or had more targets from the backfield than Cooper Kupp. This was a common motion that the Rams utilized with Kupp. To add to that, among college running backs with at least 25 targets last season, Hunter had the 14th most snaps from the slot. In 2023, he had 20 snaps from a wide alignment which ranked 23rd. Hunter may not have had receiving stats that stand out at Auburn, but he was also underutilized in that area. Said Keith Sanchez of The Draft Network,

“In the passing game, Hunter can be a productive receiver. He’s utilized on traditional running back routes but also has been split out wide to potentially create offensive mismatches.”

It’s unlikely that 21 personnel or using two running backs becomes a staple in the Rams offense. However, it could be an added sprinkle to the offense that pays dividends. It’s easy to see Kyren Williams or Blake Corum in the Rachaad White role in the backfield with Hunter taking the role of Bucky Irving in the slot as the player in motion.

While 21 personnel may not become a foundational piece, its selective use could open new pathways to create explosive plays and diversify the run game. Whether it’s 12, 11, or a touch of 21 personnel, the Rams look poised to take a more creative approach in replacing Cooper Kupp, not with one player, but with a reimagined structure built around versatility.

Following a season in which the Rams lacked explosiveness on offense at times, McVay has almost certainly spent the offseason conceptualizing ways for that to improve. Over the past nine seasons, McVay has made minor adjustments to keep up with the ever-changing and cyclical NFL. After complimenting what Liam Coen did with the Buccaneers last season, McVay could use that as inspiration.