Understanding how NFL offenses maximize efficiency across different personnel groupings has become crucial in evaluating team success. As the 2025 season demonstrated, the best offenses in the league weren't just talented—they were adaptable, excelling whether they lined up in 11 personnel with three wide receivers or went heavy with multiple tight ends.
The Evolution of Personnel Groupings in 2025
In 2025, offense struck back against defensive innovations, with many of the league's greatest offensive minds developing a counter by getting bigger. Offensive sets with multiple tight ends, extra offensive linemen and fullbacks swept through the NFL this season, creating a fascinating strategic shift across the league.
Personnel groupings are identified by a numbering system that counts running backs and tight ends. For example, 11 personnel features one running back, one tight end, and three wide receivers, while 12 personnel includes one running back, two tight ends, and two receivers. Understanding which teams excelled in each grouping reveals the true versatility of elite offenses.
11 Personnel: The Standard Bearer
Teams continued to use 11 personnel (one RB, one TE, three WRs) as the predominant grouping in 2025. This formation remains the foundation of modern NFL offenses, allowing coordinators to spread defenses and create favorable matchups in the passing game.
The Dallas Cowboys lit up the stat sheet all year, finishing second in both total yards and passing yards per game with 391.9 yards per game and 51 total touchdowns. Their aerial attack consistently generated big plays and stressed secondaries deep down the field, making them one of the league's most dangerous offenses in traditional spread formations.
The Rise of Heavy Personnel: 12 and 13 Personnel
The 2025 season saw a significant increase in the use of heavier personnel groupings, particularly among the league's most innovative offensive minds. The Los Angeles Rams led this revolution under head coach Sean McVay.
The Rams used 13 personnel for a total of two snaps in 2021, zero snaps in 2022, one snap in 2023 and three snaps in 2024—just six snaps over four seasons—and with Puka Nacua on the field for the first five and a half games of 2025, they didn't run 13 personnel once. However, against the Jaguars in Week 7, McVay threw the changeup, running 13 personnel on nearly 39% of Los Angeles' offensive snaps, and the Rams won comfortably 35-7.
The Chicago Bears utilized 12 personnel (two tight ends) at one of the highest rates in the league, leveraging their personnel to create mismatches and support what became the NFL's No. 2 rushing offense.
Buffalo Bills' Versatility
The Bills drafted an excellent blocking tight end in Jackson Hawes, which led them to mostly abandon the sixth offensive lineman tactic for heavier 13 personnel usage. This strategic shift demonstrated Buffalo's commitment to diversifying their offensive approach while maintaining their high-powered attack.
21 and 22 Personnel: Power Football Returns
For much of NFL history, the default offensive grouping was known as 21 personnel, which would feature two running backs (a halfback and a fullback) along with one tight end, with two wide receivers on the field as well. While these formations had declined in recent years, several teams found success returning to power football concepts in 2025.
The Steelers, lacking an explosive passing game, simply tried to bludgeon people with size by doing both, ranking first in six offensive lineman usage (18.6%) and second in 13 personnel rate (13.2%) last season.
Strategic Advantages of Heavy Personnel
The idea of using heavier personnel is to force defenses into base (four defensive backs), as they generally do not want an undersized extra DB to get steamrolled by a tight end or offensive lineman in run defense, but when offenses pass from these sets, the defense in base is left with less flexibility to deploy various coverages and less athleticism to effectively contain route runners.
The Rams don't have any superstar blocking tight ends like George Kittle or Rob Gronkowski, but they can do just about anything McVay wants on a snap-by-snap basis, running the same things out of 13 personnel that they run out of 11, but defenses can't necessarily run the same concepts out of their base defense to match.
Looking Ahead to 2026
As teams analyze the 2025 season, the lessons about personnel grouping versatility will shape offensive philosophies heading into 2026. The Cowboys, Bills, Falcons, Eagles, Rams, Bears, 49ers, Chargers, Dolphins, and Broncos all demonstrated varying degrees of success with different personnel packages.
The key takeaway from the 2025 season is clear: the best offenses aren't defined by a single formation or philosophy. Instead, they possess the personnel flexibility and coaching creativity to attack defenses from multiple angles, keeping coordinators guessing and maximizing their talent regardless of how many tight ends, running backs, or receivers take the field.
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