Once-promising Rams draft pick may have one foot out the door in Los Angeles

The Los Angeles Rams knew that veterans are aging on the roster, which compels this team to commit to restoring their talent pipeline with rookies. One such heir apparent for a starting job to replace a veteran was the selection of Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson in the 2025 NFL Draft. While a talented rookie, the team traded back for him, finding him in Round 2.

He was to succeed veteran tight end Tyler Higbee. He was to give the offense enough firepower to deploy 12- and 13-personnel at will. And he was a formidable offensive weapon who would block and catch well enough to transform the offense in 2025. And Week 13 was the perfect setup to flourish or fail in this offense.

Only, he failed to catch two passes thrown his way.

For a team that has already played five tight ends in 12 games, one thing has become dramatically obvious. Rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson is the runt of the litter. Even freshly signed free agent Nick Vannett, also known as Baby Gronk, got more work in Week 13 than Ferguson. If that doesn't concern you, it should.

Terrance Ferguson has not delivered yet, and the team may be running out of patience.

Terrance Ferguson is struggling to contribute in 2025

Every rookie arrives to the NFL with two things in common. All are hopeful to enjoy a long and productive NFL career. And all arrive with no NFL experience. When the team drafted tight end Davis Allen in 2023, he caught 10 of 11 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown. This year, he has hauled in 17 of 21 passes for 137 yards and three touchdowns.

Impressive? Yes.

Ferguson has only caught five of 14 passes thrown his way for 138 yards and one touchdown this season. The ironic thing is, he arrived with a draft profile that touted his pass-catching abilities. So far, he has yet to showcase that skill in the NFL with any consistency.

Does he need more time? Does he need more experience? Absolutely. And the proof is in the pudding. He is not getting enough work to grow from. After all, he is trying to learn a new offense on the fly. But he is not even keeping up with his peers. They are:

Tyler Warren - Indianapolis Colts | 58 of 78 for 684 yards, 4 touchdowns
Colston Loveland - Chicago Bears | 31 of 44 for 406 yards, 3 touchdowns
Mason Taylor - New York Jets | 39 of 57 for 318 yards, 3 touchdowns
Elijah Arroyo - Seattle Seahawks | 15 of 25 for 179, 1 touchdown
Harold Fannin Jr. - Cleveland Browns | 51 of 74 for 505 yards, 3 touchdowns
Terrance Ferguson - Los Angeles Rams | 5 of 14 for 138 yards, 1 touchdown
Thomas Fidone - New York Giants | no targets
Mitchell Evans - Carolina Panthers | 14 of 18 for 138 yards, 2 touchdowns
Gunnar Helm - Tennessee Titans | 24 of 36 for 290 yards and 1 touchdown
Jackson Hawes - Buffalo Bills | 11 of 14 for 149 yards and 2 touchdowns

Of the top 10 rookie tight ends selected in the 2025 NFL Draft, Ferguson is outplaying Thomas Fidone, a rookie who has not been targeted this season. Yikes.

LA's offense has multiple active tight ends this season, which undoubtedly contributed to Ferguson's slower development. Still, it's difficult to discern a silver lining to this storm cloud. He was added to become a future starting tight end for this team. Right now, he appears to have one foot out the door.

As always, thanks for reading.

Terrance Ferguson is struggling to contribute in 2025

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