Every NFL offseason has a story. There may be a buzzword or catch phrase that becomes the topic for the spring and summer. There may be some new-fangled rule change or trendy philosophy that becomes the overarching storyline of the offseason. But typically, there’s something.
And the topic that buzzed all around the league, which reached its peak during the 2026 NFL Draft, is the league-wide trend toward super heavy personnel (defined for the purposes of this article as 13, 22, and 31 personnel).
This was highlighted by the significant early round run on tight ends, with players like Nate Boerkircher (Jacksonville Jaguars, 56th overall), Marlin Klein (Houston Texans, 59th overall), and Will Kacmerak (Miami Dolphins, 87th overall) standing as examples of blocking-first tight ends who were drafted markedly higher than players of similar archetypes have been drafted in the past.
The team that’s frequently used as an example of this offensive trend is the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams led the league in 13 personnel usage in 2025, with a whopping 30.48% of their offensive plays coming with three tight ends on the field per SumerSports. This was over 16 percentage points higher than the second-place team in 13 usage (the Pittsburgh Steelers, 14.17%). The premise behind the Rams’ philosophy is multi-faceted:
- Defenses have been trending lighter (both in terms of average defender weight and in terms of nickel and dime usage) and faster for years with their personnel. This, combined with the rise in two-high coverages to limit explosive passing plays down the field, opens up a natural counter in the run game using super heavy personnel.
- If a defense decides to counter super heavy personnel with a single-high look and heavier defensive personnel (base, bear, etc), this opens up downfield passing not just with your wide receivers, but also potentially with athletic tight ends against 3rd/4th linebackers.
The NFL is cyclical in its offensive philosophy. Inevitably, defenses will get bigger and heavier to counter this trend over the next few years, at which point offenses will shift to 11/10 personnel and use speed to spread out heavier defenders, and so the cycle begins again.
But the Buffalo Bills aren’t chasing the Rams. They aren’t trying to keep up with the league trend. Their status as a super-heavy-personnel team was already established.
Football analysts and Bills General Manager Brandon Beane alike have remarked that 2025 fifth round pick Jackson Hawes, himself an extremely accomplished blocking tight end selected 173rd overall, would have been taken much higher if he was part of the 2026 NFL Draft instead.
Buffalo has been on the curve in this instance, not behind it.
The Bills were 17th in the league in pure 13 personnel usage in 2025 (4.62%), but they were No. 1 in the NFL in 22 personnel usage at a rate of 13.31%, almost five percentage points higher than the second-place team (Miami Dolphins, 8.85%). They’re still in super heavy (a combination of four running backs/tight ends); they’re just mixing the personnel more than the Rams did with a fullback in lieu of a third tight end.
With previous lead blocker Reggie Gilliam now a member of the division rival New England Patriots, the Bills may decide to utilize a tight end in those moments in 2026, leading to a sharp increase in 13 personnel usage metrics (head Coach Joe Brady went on record as saying the team wouldn’t keep a fullback just to keep a fullback), or one of Ben VanSumeran or Jackson Acker could get meaningful snaps for the offensive in Gilliam’s place.
“But Bruce, Joe Brady is now out from under the shadow of Sean McDermott! His offense could look entirely different!”
It absolutely could. But Brady referred to himself as a “Sean Payton disciple.” Payton, now the head coach of the Denver Broncos, oversaw an offense that sat just behind the Bills in 22 personnel usage in 2025 (8.7%%, 3rd in the NFL) and, like Buffalo, was in the bottom half of the NFL in 13 personnel usage (22nd, 1.92%). If Brady’s offense wants to line up with Payton’s in terms of personnel groupings, it doesn’t have to move essentially at all to get that alignment.
The rest of the league is moving to catch up with super heavy personnel teams. The Rams are one of them, and Buffalo is one of them. As the Bills go through a defensive philosophy change for the first time in almost a decade, it’s nice to see the remainder of the league moving toward Buffalo on offense.
Trendsetting looks good on the Bills.
…and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Rumblings Cast Network — see more in my LinkTree!
