What 13 Personnel Success in 2025 Means for the Cardinals' TE Room
What can we expect in terms of TE usage for the upcoming season for the Arizona Cardinals? The Cardinals' best offensive personnel package by EPA/play in 2025 was 13 personnel, at +0.081. The Los Angeles Rams' best offensive personnel package by EPA/play in 2025 was also 13 personnel, at +0.229.
The Rams ran double the amount of 13 personnel compared to any other team — 32% vs. the 2nd-highest rate of 13%. The Cardinals ran it 11% of the time.
| Personnel | Plays (share) | EPA/Play |
|---|---|---|
| 11 (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) | 570 (51%) | +0.001 |
| 12 (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) | 406 (36%) | -0.068 |
| 13 (1 RB, 3 TE, 1 WR) | 121 (11%) | +0.081 |
| 10 (1 RB, 0 TE, 4 WR) | 21 (2%) | -0.164 |
| Other | 7 (1%) | -0.134 |
| Personnel | Plays (share) | EPA/Play |
|---|---|---|
| 11 (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) | 658 (60%) | +0.134 |
| 13 (1 RB, 3 TE, 1 WR) | 350 (32%) | +0.229 |
| 12 (1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) | 96 (9%) | -0.034 |
Cardinals' top-3 TE rotation in these formations will most likely look like: Trey McBride, Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman.
McBride is the perfect in-between TE that can do it all and is currently playing like the best TE in the NFL. Higgins is a receiving threat and can be a mismatch problem for defenses, being a former WR/TE convert. Reiman is a 270-pound blocking mauler who will, in most cases, be that extension-of-the-offensive-line type of player — we saw a run of these TE types drafted on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
I've previously mentioned how Jeremiyah Love will give the Cardinals an identity. Mike LaFleur is a run game expert. I expect the 2026 Cardinals to follow suit from the 2025 Rams with the usage of 13 personnel.
Charts courtesy of @csv_enjoyer — data: nflfastR