LOS ANGELES — Lined up on third-and-4 in the slot, Rams tight end Terrance Ferguson was set to line a fade route in the Rams’ game against the San Francisco 49ers last week. Facing man-to-man coverage as expected, he tried to get an outside edge on the slot cornerback and keep the route vertical.
When he turned around, quarterback Matthew Stafford had put the ball up for the 6-foot-5 tight end to go get. The rookie jumped and came down with it, a 21-yard gain and his first career reception.
“Super excited obviously to get out there and be able to make an impact for the team,” Ferguson said. “Super blessed. Always pray about it, work in the dark, think about those type of things, make those type of plays. Just happy to be up there.”
The team’s top pick in this spring’s draft, Ferguson’s rookie season has been on hold for most of the first five weeks. Prior to the loss to the 49ers, Ferguson had been inactive two games and played only four offensive snaps in the other two.
The second-round pick’s development was derailed in training camp when he suffered a groin injury. He missed several weeks of practice and the first two preseason games as he tried to make the transition from Oregon to the NFL.
“It definitely is,” Ferguson said Wednesday when asked if that was frustrating. “Especially being a new guy, trying to learn the offense, get your feet underneath of you and start to become the player you want to be and you were in college and you felt comfortable and you knew the plays and you knew the speed of the game, having that setback definitely doesn’t feel good. No one wants to be off on the sideline watching. But honestly I take it as something that’s going to make me stronger in the long run.”
Transitioning to the pros is difficult enough at any position, but particularly so at a spot as hybrid as tight end is in the Rams’ offense. Players have to understand route running while lining up at different spots across the field, in addition to pass protection and run blocking.
“We do so many things, especially in this offense,” Ferguson said. “So just having to learn those little nuances I think is the biggest thing, too.”
Ferguson has done extra work with coaches while asking questions of the veterans in the tight ends room to try to make up the lost ground.
At practices, he’s been asked to help with the scout team. Ahead of the game against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4, he played the part of Colts rookie Tyler Warren. On Wednesday, he was in a No. 88 jersey as he imitated the Baltimore Ravens’ Isaiah Likely.
“I think the big thing is just going out there every time and whether it’s a scout rep, a rep with the [starters], whatever it is, just trying to get better each rep,” Ferguson said. “Taking those reps and not just going through the motions but really getting better through those reps and trying to learn and apply our offense to the scout-team things and give the best look I can and get better at those things because all football has that little bit of carryover.”
With the depth of the Rams’ tight end room, head coach Sean McVay and his staff can afford to slow-play Ferguson’s involvement until they feel like he is ready for more responsibility. But McVay hinted that day might be coming soon.
“We have to be able to figure out a way to be able to get him going,” he said. “It was such a weird game. … The plays were so limited early on and then you’re kind of playing from behind, but got in there in some of the third-down, known passing situations. He’s going to be a really good player for us, I believe. I thought he did an excellent job with the opportunity that he had [last week].”
INJURY REPORT
Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein (ankle), tight end Tyler Higbee (hip) and linebacker Omar Speights (high ankle sprain) did not practice Wednesday.
Speights is not an injured reserve candidate, McVay said, adding that Troy Reeder and Shaun Dolac will split reps in practice this week to determine who will replace Speights in the rotation.
Safety Kamren Kinchens (knee soreness), linebacker Nate Landman (ankle soreness) and tight end Colby Parkinson (concussion protocol) were partial participants in practice Wednesday.