5 problems the LA Rams are already dealing with in training camp

(1) - TE Tyler Higbee's return remains undetermined

It is never a good thing when a season ends with an injury to one of the team's dependable go-to guy starters. So when the veteran tight end suffered a devastating ACL injury in the NFL Playoffs, the team immediately understood that the impact was not limited to 2023. Typically, ACL injuries require from six to nine months to heal. However, for competitive athletes, the time to return to an active NFL roster can take longer.

In theory, Higbee should be due to return to the active Rams roster in October 2024, at the earliest. For now, he has been assigned to the Injured Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform roster. (IR/PUP).

No official updates have been made as to Tyler Higbee's status, which is merely an indication that no new information is available or that his current status has not changed. While that is expected, this has been both a bane and a boon for the team.

The bane is that one of the key contributors to this offense, and the only starting tight end on the Rams roster, is not available. There are few options to view this situation and fail to recognize the loss of either his production or potential. The Rams love continuity and experience, and the absence of Higbee means the absence of both.

But there is a boon to all of this. Two to be exact. In searching for a suitable segue on offense to fill in the gap in Higbee's absence. But both Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson are putting on a clinic, and are in a dead heat so far. Not on the low end of the scale, mind you. Rather, they are both raising eyebrows in a feat of one upmanship.

Perhaps the bane is not simply the absence of Higbee. Perhaps the true curse is on Higbee, when he is ready to return to the active roster.

As always, thank you for reading.