Why LA Rams TE Tyler Higbee can be a top-5 TE in 2020

LA Rams TE Tyler Higbee can be an NFL top-5 TE in 2020

The LA Rams have not made much of a fuss over their tight ends since head coach Sean McVay had taken over in 2017. In fact, both Tyler Higbee, Derek Carrier, and Gerald Everett were only targeted 88 times in 2017.  That number fell to 85 targets in 2018, as Carrier was swapped out for blocking tight end, Johnny Mundt.   But the number of tight end passing attempts nearly doubled to 156 in 2019. What changed?

Believer or not, McVay discovered that his tight ends could catch passes. They combined for 1,168 yards receiving and added five touchdowns to boot.  While the team appeared to be on pace for a normal season, the lid popped off in December 2019 when seldom-used tight end Tyler Higbee was targetted 56 times for 43 completions, two touchdowns, and 522 yards. So what changed for the Rams?

Failure was no longer an option

By the time that the LA Rams reached December 2019, the offensive line was in tatters, held together by ace bandages and duct tape.  The running game was no longer dependable. And the Rams head coach, Sean McVay, was out of his comfort zone. So he did what he does best. He redesigned the offense on the fly. After two successive losses of just 18 total points, McVay had simply had enough.

From that point in time, the Rams scored 145 points over their final five games, averaging 29 points a game. If the Rams had maintained that average all season, the team would have finished 11-5, would have played in the 2019 NFL playoffs, and would be in a far different position today. But the Rams did succeed in learning some valuable lessons from that costly experience. Namely, the Rams offense must adapt, must be willing to add additional blockers when needed, and can rely upon tight ends to contribute or even carry the passing game. Even the Rams running game seemed more potent.

2020 picks up where 2019 leaves off

While 2020 resets the stage for the LA Rams offense, in reality much remains the same. The Rams were unable to count on the running game in 2019, as Todd Gurley was inconsistent nearly the entire season.  So too was the hit or miss contribution of wide receiver Brandin Cooks.  Ultimately, McVay felt the urgency to take the offense in his own hands, intervene directly, and distill a new offense from the parts of what was still working.

McVay reworked the offense. It was no longer an offense designed to flood the defense with receivers. This was an offense designed to maximize protection, disguise the plays, and confuse the defenses. And it worked:

The Rams offense clicked in the final weeks of the 2019 season.

Kevin O’Connell loves strong tight end play

The Rams had so much success with tight ends, that they hired an offensive coordinator who specializes in the position. Well, more accurately, he specializes in coaching quarterbacks, but with the perspective of improving quarterbacking play overall. In the modern NFL, that means a heavier reliance upon tight ends. Wherever O’Connell has influenced offenses, that has often meant a quarterback seeing the entire field, and throwing to the open man.

In 2020, O’Connell will pick up where McVay left off.  The LA Rams could go anywhere from 0-4 tight ends on any given play. With no previous footage, how will defenses adjust to that type of offense? Confusion is the likely reaction. And if the defense is confused, the advantage most certainly goes to the offense.  That all translates into more opportunities for tight end Tyler Higbee out of the gates. It also means more 12 personnel packages, and even lining up Johnny Mundt in a pseudo-fullback role. The Rams offensive line will need help in 2020. The best way to provide that is to give them some help. The offense proved it could move the ball and score effectively in 2019 by emphasizing tight ends on the offense. Now the coaching staff simply needs to prove they can commit to that in 2020.