Tyler Higbee was one of the most productive and consistent players in the NFL over the course of the final month of last season. He had four straight games with at least seven catches and 100 yards in the last five weeks, gaining 522 yards in that span.
Incredibly, it was the best season ever by a Rams tight end, and Higbee’s late emergence has Los Angeles feeling good about his potential heading into 2020. Sean McVay was asked about Higbee at the NFL combine Tuesday and he’s excited about what the future holds for the young tight end.
“He made a huge impact for us. He’s always been a very important part of it and I thought it was great for Tyler to be able to get the opportunities and to be able to maximize that,” McVay said. “And you could see as his production continued to show up week in and week out – I think it’s not by coincidence that a lot of Jared’s really good play coincided with when Tyler ended up playing really well, starting with the first Arizona game and leading into those last five games. We’ve got big plans for him. That’s something that I thought it was great for him to be able to maximize those opportunities and we think he’s got a very bright future.”
It wasn’t long ago that the Rams shopped Higbee, nearly trading him to the Vikings in 2018. They were seeking a sixth-round pick but the Vikings would only offer a seventh, so the talks fizzled.
It was reasonable to think the Rams might trade Higbee last offseason with Gerald Everett seemingly poised for a breakout year. Now, Everett would appear to be the more likely tight end to be traded, though that’s probably not going to happen, either.
The duo has a chance to be one of the best in the NFL, but that will only happen if they’re given the chance to play significant roles. At least for Higbee, that seems likely in 2020.