The Los Angeles Rams have Todd Gurley, Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods on offense, but Pro Football Focus didn’t grade a single one of those players higher than Tyler Higbee in 2019.
Incredibly, with all the big names Los Angeles has on its offense, it was Higbee – who had 26 catches for 212 yards and one touchdown in the first 10 games of the season – with the highest grade PFF grade on the Rams offense this season.
He finished the year with an overall grade of 85.9, which was the third-highest by a Rams offensive player in the last three years. It was all thanks to his last five games of the season, which all came in December.
In those games, he caught 43 passes for 522 yards and two touchdowns. Thanks to that finish, Higbee not only ended the year with the highest grade on offense by a Rams player, but he posted the best season by a tight end in franchise history. His 69 catches and 734 yards are the most ever by a Rams tight end.
Higbee doesn’t necessarily get all the credit he should as a blocker, either. He was strong in that department this season, both in the running game and in pass protection. Against the Bears, he was asked to block Khalil Mack one-on-one a couple times and held his own in those situations.
As the Rams’ official site mentioned, Higbee’s receiving grade of 90.0 is what really pushed his performance over the top. He wasn’t a downfield threat, though. He gained a good chunk of his yards after the catch, gaining 396 yards with the ball in his hands.
According to PFF’s data, Higbee did the majority of his damage when targeted short, or 1-9 yards past the line of scrimmage, catching 46 of 52 yards for 394 yards and all three of his touchdowns in that range. He also was effective on screens, too, catching 12 of 13 targets for 111 yards with 142 yards after the catch when targeted behind the line of scrimmage.
Higbee received an extension last season and while it was met with confusion and some criticism, he’s making the Rams look wise for signing him when they did. In one month, he emerged as one of the most reliable tight ends in football.