Towering tight end tantalizes team with tough TD catch at Rams training camp

The LA Rams training camp has contained all of the oohs and ahhs that we all expected from an emotional roller coaster. But it also has packed in a dash of fear, as early training camp injuries begin to chip away at the unbridled offseason optimism. But for the most part, there has been superb competition, and that's the direction that we will take with this article.

With the ongoing rehabilitation of veteran tight end Tyler Higbee, the team has been eager go pit second-year tight end sensation Davis Allen against his towering teammate, newly signed tight end Colby Parkinson. Both tight ends are tall. Both tight ends can block. Both tight ends have soft hands. And yes, both tight ends are catching touchdown passes:

Let the competition begin.

If the early reports out of training camp are anywhere close to accurate, the team does not have a problem with which tight end should play in 2024 in Higbee's absence. Rather, the challenge this season will become which of the two players does the team take off the football field and bench?

Or do they?

We know that the Rams have the seldom used offensive chapter in their playbook that covers 12-personnel packages. And in 2019, when the team was a bit banged up, that 12-personnel package chapter unleashed TE Tyler Higbee for 522 yards and two touchdowns in just five games in the month of December. With both Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson looking every bit the part of starting tight ends, will the team look to two tight end formations a bit more frequently?

I certainly wouldn't rule out the possibility.

Everything about the offense in 2024 screams power football. From the team's refurbished offensive line, to the team's interest in stocky former Michigan RB Blake Corum, to the team's selection of versatile and multi-talented WR Jordan Whittington, this offense is built like an NFL power play squad.

And I don't think the NFL is prepared to face this new version of Rams offense.

What can this team do with two talented tight ends? Plenty. After all, the team is certainly out to improve an alarmingly ineffective red zone offense from the 2024 NFL Playoffs. Had the Rams converted at least one of three red zone appearances, they would have defeated the Detroit Lions and advanced.

Just one out of three.

Colby Parkinson might be the solution to red zone problems. Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing 265 pounds, Parkinson towers over defensive backs. He becomes a light house in stormy red zone situations, and is impossible to miss with a pass in his direction.

On the flip side, Davis Allen has a superb command of the team's offense, the entire playbook, and his propensity to catch virtually every pass thrown in his direction is an unassailable advantage for this offense to drive the football down the field.

It's clear that both Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson are putting in very effective claims to start at tight end this season. Now it will be up to the coaching staff to decide which, if either, sits and awaits his shot at making plays this season.

Thanks for reading.

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