Sean McVay is a bellwether of NFL offensive trends

Earlier in Sean McVay’s career with the Los Angeles Rams, you could levy a fair complaint that he was often slow to adjust—whether in-season or in-game.

But since a catastrophic Super Bowl defeat at the hands of Bill Belichick in 2018, McVay has continued to find ways to reinvent himself as well as his offensive scheme.

Nate Tice joined Steve Palazzolo on the “Check the Mic” podcast recently to discuss the trends that will define the 2026 NFL season. McVay, rightfully so, came up often in the conversation.

We know teams across the league attempt to emulate both McVay and the Rams. The newest idea others will borrow is McVay’s recent experiments with heavier personnel packages and increased utilization of tight ends, as evidenced by teams selecting run-blocking TE’s much earlier in the draft than normal.

But the Rams mostly stay ahead of the curve now. They don’t need to worry about copycats because by the time the rest of the NFL catches up they remain one step ahead. If that holds true again in 2026, LA will have a realistic shot at making good on their Super Bowl expectations.

These are some ideas from the podcast episode that are worth noodling on ahead of training camp:

• Run-blocking TE’s make heavier personnel packages work
• Was the 2026 TE-heavy draft a product of the player pool, copycats, or both?
• Is up-tempo the next curveball McVay will throw at defenses and does the Kliff Kingsbury hire tip his hand?
• Are NFL defenses better than they’ve ever been?
• Will offenses embrace vertical passing attacks to counter current defenses trends?

This is a must-listen in the lull of the offseason. The Rams and Sean McVay will continue to shape modern offense in the NFL. How it happens remains to be seen.