The Rams’ second half against the Chargers looked a lot more like the offense they want to be, and rookie tight end Max Klare was a big part of that shift.
For much of the game, Los Angeles was leaning heavily on three-wideout looks, with 11 personnel on 75 percent of its first-half snaps and 13 personnel at just 23.6 percent. That changed after halftime. The Rams started getting Klare more involved, forced more 13 personnel, and the offense found a better rhythm.
Klare’s usage was almost invisible early. Through the first seven weeks of the season, he had logged just one offensive snap, coming in Week 4 when Colby Parkinson was hurt.
Against the Chargers, he had only five offensive snaps in the first half. Then the Rams turned to him more in the second half, and he finished with 20 offensive snaps after the break and 25 for the game.
That gave him a career-high 46.3 percent snap share.
He wasn’t featured as a pass catcher, but the Rams clearly leaned on him in the run game. Twenty of his 25 snaps came on running plays, and his work there helped Los Angeles get back to what it does best in 13 personnel.
Klare also posted a 66.8 run-blocking grade via PFF, which ranked 16th for the week and was the best among Rams tight ends. Given the injuries at tight end, it’s fair to wonder why he had barely been on the field before Sunday.
The backfield usage was a little more predictable. Blake Corum had the hotter hand for most of the afternoon, carrying the ball 11 times before the final drive compared with six for Kyren Williams.
By the end, Williams finished with 17 carries and Corum with 11. Even with Corum finding more success on the ground, Williams still played 69 percent of the offensive snaps and remains the back the Rams trust more in the passing game.
Corum’s workload was notable, though the overall rotation still looks stable. He has now posted 10-plus carries in back-to-back games for the second time this season, but his 31.5 percent snap share was down from last week and sat close to his season average. His production makes a case for more work, but the Rams do not appear ready to move away from the current setup.
At wide receiver, the hierarchy is pretty stark. Puka Nacua is the clear WR1, and his 96 percent snap share says as much.
After him, Tutu Atwell and Konata Mumpfield are the next two receivers in line, with Mumpfield at 50 percent and Atwell at 39 percent. Jordan Whittington and CJ Daniels were barely used, with four snaps and two snaps, respectively.
That depth chart is exactly why the Rams need help at receiver. Outside of Nacua, the group combined for two catches on six targets.
Mumpfield is a role player, not someone who should be functioning as the team’s WR2, and the numbers showed it. Nacua averaged 0.21 EPA per target, while the other four Rams wideouts combined for -3.63.
On the defensive side, Byron Young remains the top edge rusher, but the rotation behind him is getting more interesting. Josaiah Stewart had been playing at least 69 percent of the defensive snaps in all but one game since Week 1, but that number dropped to 55.7 percent against the Chargers. Wesley Bailey picked up more work in that rotation and set a career high with a 52.5 percent snap share.
That doesn’t mean Bailey has passed Stewart. Stewart still produced more, finishing with four pressures and a 26.7 percent pressure rate, while Bailey had one pressure and a 12.5 percent pressure rate. Bailey has held his own as an undrafted free agent, but for now he remains part of the rotation rather than the answer to it.
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