Rams’ Tyler Higbee Will Begin Season on PUP List

Ricardo Klein | Aug 27, 2024

Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee (89) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Rams veteran tight end Tyler Higbee will miss at least the first four games of the 2024 season. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Higbee would remain on the team's physically unable-to-perform list when they make their cuts to an initial 53-man roster.

Rams are leaving TE Tyler Higbee on the Physically Unable to Perform List, which means he is ineligible to be active during the first four games of the season. pic.twitter.com/JyEdx80DVO

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2024

Higbee is still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL he suffered in the fourth quarter of the Rams' Wild Card playoff game against the Detroit Lions. Prior to the injury, Higbee was coming off one of the least productive seasons he has had.

He collected 47 receptions on 70 targets for 495 receiving yards — his fewest since 2018 — two touchdowns, and an average of 10.5 yards per reception in 15 games. Higbee has spent his entire career with the Rams after they drafted him in the 2016 NFL Draft in the fourth round with the No. 110 overall pick.

Higbee will enter his ninth NFL campaign if he is able to suit up sometime during this season. In the meantime, Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen, and Hunter Long will carry the load if and when Higbee returns from the PUP list.

These three tight ends will stand out from one another and show they can be a viable piece even when Higbee returns. In his eight-year career, Higbee has tailed 353 receptions on 520 targets, 3,602 receiving yards, 22 touchdowns, and an average of 10.2 yards per reception.

Higbee's best season came in 2019 when he recorded 69 receptions for 734 yards and three touchdowns. Since moving to Los Angeles, the 31-year-old has played a vital part in setting a culture for the Rams.

The Rams' trio of tight ends, Parkison, Allen, and Long, will be a breath of fresh air for Los Angeles.

The Rams signed Parkinson this offseason to a three-year contract worth $22.5 million. His previous four seasons were with L.A.'s division rival, the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks selected Parkinson in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the No. 133 overall pick.

Long is not expected to play a vital role in the team. Long was traded to L.A. in 2023, along with a third-round draft pick, in exchange for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Allen could make his name without Higbee in the lineup. Although his rookie season in 2023 was limited, he could see a significant increase in volume and be a vital piece to the Rams' potent offense.

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