Tyler Higbee’s record day reminds LA Rams of TE value

LA Rams’ tight end Tyler Higbee is sitting pretty after his record-setting performance on Christmas Day. Higbee burned the Denver Broncos for nine catches, 94 yards and two touchdowns to help inspire a 51-14 win at SoFi Stadium.

In the process, Higbee became the Rams’ all-time leader in touchdowns by a tight end. He surpassed the 18 scores tallied by Damone Johnson, per Stu Jackson of Rams.com.

Higbee already held the franchise mark for receptions in a single season by a tight end, a record he set against the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. The Rams’ fourth-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft has also become the most prolific tight end in franchise history with 299 catches, according to The Football Database.

Sounds good, right? Well, yes and no.

The LA Rams have a poor history with TEs

One of the first people to congratulate Higbee was former LA Rams left tackle Andrew Whitworth. His tweet prompted a response from the Pro Football Journal, a reminder tight ends have often been an afterthought throughout franchise history:

The point is well taken. Higbee’s overall numbers show how tight ends have long been undervalued by the Rams.

Remember, those 299 catches and 20 touchdowns are records for a franchise that’s also spent time in Cleveland and St. Louis since its inception in 1936. It’s been too long without a tight end capable of rivaling the greats at the position.

Those greats include Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzalez, Mike Ditka, John Mackey, and Mark Bavaro. Legendary names have come and gone while the Rams have placed a higher premium on other positions.

Usually, it’s meant valuing wide receivers. From the days of Elroy ‘Crazy Legs’ Hirsch in the 1940s, and ’50s, through to Henry Ellard, whose omission from the Pro Football Hall of Fame is a travesty, right up to Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt of ‘The Greatest Show on Turf,’ the Rams have always fielded great wide receivers.

The NFL’s single-game record for receiving yards is held by a Rams’ flanker, Willie ‘Flipper’ Anderson, who made history against the New Orleans Saints in 1989:

Things haven’t changed in the present day with another LA Rams wide receiver, Copper Kupp, defining last season’s Super Bowl champions as the triple-crown winner. Yet, for as many great wideouts who’ve suited up for the Rams, the franchise is missing out by keeping tight ends in the background.

Dynamic TE can transform Rams’ Offense

You’ve only got to look at the Rams’ L.A. neighbors the Chargers to see the value of a dominant tight end. That AFC franchise defined two eras of success through the exploits of roving mismatches at the position.

Kellen Winslow Sr. was the driving force behind ‘Air Coryell,’ in the 1980s before Antonio Gates dominated the 2000s and 2010s. Both succeeded because they were matchup nightmares for defenses, too big for defensive backs to cover, and too quick for linebackers to handle in space.

Those Chargers teams could change the look of their offenses simply by moving Winslow or Gates off the line and into the slot, out wide, or even the backfield. It’s what this season’s Chargers are doing with a former Rams starter.

LA Chargers tight end Gerald Everett has set career-best marks for catches (52) and yards (532). He never surpassed 41 receptions and 417 yards in a single season during four years with the Rams.

It’s time for LA Rams head coach Sean McVay to make tight ends a priority in his offense. He can start either by plundering free agency for Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Evan Engram or Minnesota Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr., both of whom are good fits for McVay’s system.

Better yet, the Rams should make the position a priority in the draft. They could alter the makeup of McVay’s offense dramatically by selecting 6’7″, 280-pound Georgia tight end Darnell Washington.