TE Tyler Higbee is not prepared to play for the Rams, so who will be?

TE Hunter Long

While the team has not seen a lot from veteran TE Hunter Long on the football field, that could change quite rapidly in 2024. After all, Long only saw action in 55 offensive snaps over four games with just one start last season. And despite that small amount of work, you would not be wrong in presuming that the team would have thrown at least one pass his way.

But he was never targeted.

So the question is in 2024 whether or not the team has a greater role for a player whose first season with his new team as anything but a success. After all, he is the 'other guy,' in the trade that sent All-Pro DB Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins. While the Rams front office certainly optimized the value of the lone draft pick received in the exchange by selecting OLB Byron Young, Hunter Long was certainly expected to deliver in 2023.

But that has yet to happen.

Long is a 6-foot-5, 243-pound tight end whose forte so far on both the Miami Dolphins and LA Rams rosters has been his ability to block. In three NFL seasons, Long has hauled in just one of four passes for eight yards. Can he catch more passes in 2024? Of course. But if you are looking for a tight end to break though a 500+ receiving yards on this team, I'd look elsewhere.

TE Coach Nick Caley loves Hunter Long from his New England Patriot coaching days, as Long played for Boston College. But familiarity and friendships can only go so far. While I am not ready to rule Hunter Long out as a candidate for a larger role in this offense in 2024, I see other players as far more likely.