Rain and flood watch add to Rams' tight end concerns for Week 14

Why not wide receiver Ben Skowronek?

The LA Rams know that the game against the Baltimore Ravens will be played in pretty sloppy conditions. With an abundance of rain and wind, perhaps the best bet is to sacrifice some functionality at blocking and add sure-handed receivers to the configuration. The Rams boast WR Ben Skowronek, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs a hefty 224 pounds. He may not be a tight end by name, but he certainly can play like one.

For Week 14, I would not be the least bit surprised in wide receiver Ben Skowronek was promoted to a significant role in the Rams offense this week. How so? Well, Skowronek played on 24 offensive snaps in Week 13 against the Cleveland Browns, his highest usage of the entire 2023 NFL season.

Skowronek responded by catching two of three passes thrown his way for 12 yards. While certainly not a significant impact, it was the first multi-catch performance of the season for Skowronek and could be the start of a more active role for the Rams. For the season, Skowronek has caught six of the ten passes thrown his way. But the Rams love Skowronek's versatility, and Higbee's absence could be uniquely solved by the Rams in a deluge by playing Ben Skowronek in his absence.

Don't discount Demarcus Robinson

As we look over the Rams roster for viable substitutes for TE Tyler Higbee, let's not overlook the rapidly rising usage of veteran wide receiver Demarcus Robinson. Robinson stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 203 pounds, which is certainly big and powerful enough to clamp down on edge rushers long enough to allow RB Kyren Williams to race around the end to daylight.

Robinson has been a non-factor for most of the Rams season. But that changed over the Week 10 BYE. Since then, Robinson has gotten action on 85 offensive snaps in three games, and his workload has been steadily increasing with each game. For good reason too, as he has been smolderingly effective, catching eight of nine passes over that span for 92 yards and a touchdown.

If the Rams need to amplify a player to assume a larger role in the offense this week, Demarcus Robinson is certainly tracking like a player who wants that spotlight.