Rams Snap Counts: Max Klare Barely Sees Field Despite Clear Opportunity

When the Los Angeles Rams headed into Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, it was known that they would likely be short-handed at tight end. On Friday, the team officially put Terrance Ferguson on injured reserve with a medial ankle sprain. Additionally, Colby Parkinson didn’t practice all week with an AC sprain.

Heading into Sunday, the Rams had two options on offense. They could either get rookie second-round pick Max Klare more involved and stick with their 13 personnel identity or go back to operating out of 11 personnel.

The Rams opted for the latter. Against the Eagles, Klare played one snap on offense. That play came in the third quarter on Kyren Williams’ 23-yard run that was called back because of unsportsmanlike conduct on the bench.

During the first three weeks of the season, the Rams operated just 56 percent of their offense out of 11 personnel, which ranked 19th in the NFL. Their 42 percent usage out of 13 personnel led the league. On Sunday, the Rams operated out of 11 personnel at an 88 percent rate. It was their highest usage out of 11 personnel since Week 5 last year. It was also the second-highest rate in Week 4. They ran a single play out of 13 personnel and had only nine plays with multiple tight ends on the field.

Max Klare Gets Just One Snap Despite Opportunity

While coach-speak is a real thing, head coach Sean McVay seemed to imply that Klare could be leaned on more against the Eagles. McVay was specifically asked whether the injuries to Parkinson and Ferguson meant more opportunities for Klare.

“It certainly does,” said McVay. “Obviously, being able to play with multiple tight ends has become a big part of our identity and so it absolutely does.”

Fast forward to Sunday, and again, Klare had just one offensive snap.Maybe Klare would have gotten more usage had Parkinson played, as the Rams could have rotated their tight ends without having to worry as much about their depth. The fact that he played zero snaps on special teams was also odd as he had four last week against the Denver Broncos and had two the week prior.

It certainly raises questions about Klare’s role going forward. As I wrote last week, the Klare pick was always about 2027 and this year was likely always a redshirt-type season. However, the Rams could have used Klare on Sunday and he was utilized on a single play that wasn’t even a pass.

Rams Abandon 13 Personnel Against Eagles

The Rams also weren’t necessarily having success out of 11 personnel. Out of 11 personnel, the Rams averaged -0.09 EPA per play. In the first half, it was -0.33 EPA per play. Konata Mumpfield, Jordan Whittington, and Tutu Atwell combined for three catches on six targets and none had more than 10 yards receiving. The Rams spent most of the offseason designing the offense around multiple tight end sets.It simply seems odd that they wouldn’t use Klare in a game in which logic suggested they could have used him.

In Week 5, the Rams will hope to get Parkinson back on the field. However, they’ll be without Ferguson for at least the next three games. Given the personnel on offense, it may not be sustainable for them to operate solely out of 11 personnel as they did last week and as they have in the past. That could mean having to use Max Klare, but if Sunday is any indication, the Rams may not believe he’s ready to contribute on offense.

Other Rams Snap Count Takeaways

Without Xavier Smith, Tutu Atwell played 19 snaps on offense, which was only four fewer than Konata Mumpfield. Atwell may not have Smith’s special teams value, but he has shown an ability to win deep.
Running back Blake Corum only played 13 offensive snaps. That’s the fewest snaps he’s played all season and almost half as many as last week. Corum hasn’t played 13 or fewer snaps on offense since Week 6 last year. Part of that might be game script, but it’s certainly worth noting.
With Jaylen Watson managing an injury, Josh Wallace played 100 percent of the defensive snaps at cornerback. Emmanuel Forbes’ role didn’t seem to change as he played 21 snaps.
Jaylen McCollough played just three snaps on defense. That’s by far the lowest number he’s played this season. It may have to do with the matchup, but it’s something worth watching going forward. McCollough typically plays as the dime linebacker. While the Rams played dime at a 25.9 percent rate, McCollough still only played three snaps.

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