Tyler Higbee showed this season that he can be a vital piece for the Rams offense moving forward.
It is no secret that the Los Angeles Rams have plenty of weapons on offense, despite a down year in 2022.
The headliner is of course receiver Cooper Kupp, who is just one year removed from winning the triple crown to help lead the Rams to a Super Bowl title. However, with Kupp going down with a season-ending high ankle sprain, tight end Tyler Higbee was the go-to guy for Rams’ quarterbacks.
Higbee finished the season with 620 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 72 receptions. He showed he can be a game-changing tight end, and drew the same praise from former tight end Rob Gronkowski.
“He can definitely move. He can zig-and-zag. He can get open. I would say with him, though, it’s just a little bit more consistency,” Gronkowski told Heavy.com. “There’s some games where he has breakout games and then there’s some games where you don’t really hear about him and he’s not making that many plays.”
Gronkowski isn’t far off, as Higbee caught 33 passes for 290 yards in his first five games. Over the final 12 games though, he only recorded 39 receptions for 330 yards, albeit with three touchdowns in the last four games.
“I’m not sure if it’s the offensive system that he’s in and not really getting that many opportunities,” Gronkowski said. “But when you see a guy like him making those plays that he can make, I feel like you should give him more opportunities.”
Despite a career-high in receptions with 72, Higbee’s 8.6 yards per reception was his lowest since his rookie season when he saw just 29 targets. Having to play with four different quarterbacks didn’t help, but Higbee could have done more with his chances.
Moving forward, though, as the Rams look to get back to Super Bowl contender status Higbee will play a key role. Kupp is Kupp, but if Higbee can put together another season like this than the Rams offense could be one of the best in the NFL again.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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