Rams 90-Man Roster Player Preview: TE Terrance Ferguson Ready for Bigger Role in 2026

The Los Angeles Rams appear to be revamping the offense in 2026 with a heavier dose of 12 and 13 personnel. A big part of that will be the continued development of tight end Terrance Ferguson. While Ferguson was a limited contributor as a rookie, the potential was obvious. As the Rams move to heavier tight end packages, Ferguson should play a larger role.

Ferguson is next in our player preview series for the 2026 season.

2025 Season in Review

Ferguson didn’t play a big role immediately during his rookie season as he missed part of training camp with an injury. He was inactive in Week 3 and Week 4 and didn’t play more than 30 percent of the offensive snaps until Week 6. However, Ferguson continued to progress and develop through the season.

He finished with 11 receptions for 231 yards and three touchdowns. While it was a small sample size, he had the most deep targets among tight ends with 13 and his 180 yards on deep targets ranked third. Ferguson was arguably the best tight end on deep targets as a rookie and two of his three touchdowns were on deep targets. That’s likely where his role will expand heading into 2026.

Roster Battle

There’s a lot of excitement around Ferguson as he heads into year two. However, if Ferguson is going to see the field more, he’s likely going to be competing for snaps with Colby Parkinson and Tyler Higbee. Ferguson will need to show a strong understanding of the offense and reliability as a blocker if he’s going to see the field more. He may be the future at the position, but the Rams have two experienced players that they can rely on in the short-term if needed.

Play 1: A Serious Deep Threat at Tight End

Terrance Ferguson was used primarily as a downfield target during his rookie season. Hard to argue with success of the TE group

I expect to see Ferguson splitting reps with Parkinson going forward, with long time Ram Higbee heading to free agency.

What’s your expectations? pic.twitter.com/Q8I2CVwyvd
— RAMS ON FILM (@RamsOnFilm) February 24, 2026

As mentioned, Ferguson was arguably the best deep threat at tight end in the NFL last season despite a small sample size. This was primarily how the Rams used him last season as he became a master at the slot fade. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Ferguson’s role increase in this area in 2026.

Play 2: The Perfect Tight End as Rams Transition to 12 and 13 Personnel

Trying to match this Rams offense with base isn't gonna end well, especially when Terrance Ferguson is on the field. He's their field stretcher, and giving him a free release against a LB is gonna end up like this a lot pic.twitter.com/MrOnrWkAUO
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) November 12, 2025

A big reason why the Rams moved to more 12 and 13 personnel packages is because it forces most defenses to match them in base. If defenses match in lighter boxes, the Rams can just run on them. However, Ferguson is also a huge mismatch in the passing game. It forces defenses into conflict and makes them pick their poison. The Rams didn’t bring back Tutu Atwell, but Ferguson’s speed allows him to potentially be their deep threat next season.

Play 3: A Tight End With Wide Receiver Skills

McVay once again using Puka as a decoy to open up opportunities for others. Seahawks in Cover 3 with a safety rotating to the weakside to take away the Puka in-breaker, but that leaves Drake Thomas 1v1 with Terrance Ferguson, who absolutely smokes him pic.twitter.com/Pf52VE5ff8
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) December 19, 2025

What makes Ferguson so unique is that he’s built like a tight end, but moves like a wide receiver. Once he hits his ceiling, it’s what’s going to make him so difficult to defend. The Rams only scratched the surface of this last season and will almost certainly look to take advantage of that moving forward.

Biggest Question: Can Terrance Ferguson Take the Next Step in 2026?

The Rams tend to work their rookies in slowly, which is what they did with Ferguson. He may have only gotten limited action, but much of that was by design. Heading into 2026, the Rams appear to be moving toward using more 12 and 13 personnel, which places a greater emphasis on the tight end position. However, the question here is whether Ferguson can take the expected step forward and handle a larger role in the offense. With a full offseason and heading into year two in the offense, Ferguson should be ready for that next step.

2026 Outlook/Role

here seems to be a narrative that the Rams need a third wide receiver and a deep threat. That may not necessarily be wrong, but Ferguson is essentially the de facto WR3. The Rams used 13 personnel more than any other team last season and Ferguson is a tight end only by name. He moves like a wide receiver and his speed is a mismatch against linebackers. While the Rams may not have a proven deep threat at wide receiver, Ferguson should be able to create that same spacing and provide a deep threat as a tight end.

Chances of Making the Final Roster

When it comes to Ferguson, there won’t be any drama in terms of whether or not he makes the roster. Ferguson is as close to a lock as it gets. There are questions about how he’ll perform in a larger role, but he’ll make the final 53.

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