The Los Angeles Rams have had good stability at tight end during Sean McVay’s tenure. Tyler Higbee has held down that position for years and from 2017-2020, the Rams also had the very talented Gerald Everett as their No. 2 option.
In the last two years, McVay and Les Snead have been fairly aggressive at this position. They signed Higbee to an extension last September, drafted Davis Allen in the fifth round in 2023 and signed Colby Parkinson to a three-year deal in free agency. They also acquired Hunter Long, a former third-round pick, in the Jalen Ramsey trade. Not to mention, they were in hot pursuit of Brock Bowers in Round 1 of the draft this year.
Though they didn’t end up with Bowers, the result of their moves has been a deep and talented tight end room. Just ask Matthew Stafford.
He said on “Inside Rams Camp” Thursday that the Rams’ tight end group is as good as he’s had since he came into the NFL in 2009.
“I think it’s as talented and as deep a room as I’ve been a part of since I’ve probably been in the league,” Stafford said. “And when you get Higs back healthy, it’s going to be a big strength for our team. I’m excited about these guys, they’re working their (expletive) off and it’s going to be good for us.”
Stafford has had some talented tight ends in his career, from Brandon Pettigrew to Eric Ebron to T.J. Hockenson. However, collectively, he believes the Rams’ combination of Higbee, Parkinson, Allen and Long is as deep as he’s had on a team.
Parkinson is expected to be the Rams’ starting tight end at the beginning of the season with Higbee on the PUP list currently, but Allen is pushing for snaps at the position, too. Both guys have big frames as receivers and wide catch radiuses, making them excellent red zone targets for Stafford, too.
It’ll be fun to see how this group plays out as the season progresses, especially once Higbee returns from his knee injury.