When looking at the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive playmakers heading into the 2019 season, Tyler Higbee’s name was far down the list. He was behind the likes of Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, Gerald Everett and in some minds, even Darrell Henderson Jr.
No one expected him to have the season that he did, but Everett’s injury and the Rams’ mentality shift late in the year led to a breakout campaign by Higbee. He finished the season with 69 catches for 734 yards and seven touchdowns, more than doubling his career reception and yardage totals from the previous three years combined.
It was the best season ever by a Rams tight end, setting franchise records in receptions and yards thanks to his late-season emergence. In the final five games alone, he had 43 catches for 522 yards and two touchdowns, topping 100 yards in four of those starts.
He’s now on the radars of most casual NFL fans – partly due to fantasy football – and has garnered the respect of Pro Football Focus. PFF is ranking the top 101 players in the NFL from the 2019 season and Higbee came in at No. 74.
The Rams took a significant step back this season overall, but one member of the team who went in the other direction was their tight end, Tyler Higbee. Higbee more than doubled his previous career-high figures for receptions and receiving yards while receiving more than twice the targets he did a season ago. He broke seven tackles after the catch and hauled in 80.2% of the passes thrown his way over the season.
Higbee probably wouldn’t have sniffed the top 200 players in the NFL before last season, but he burst onto the scene with a huge performance and people are taking notice. Now that he’s established himself as the top tight end in Los Angeles, it begs the question of what Everett’s role will be in 2020.
Could the Rams try to shop him in order to recoup a mid-round pick? Or will they simply utilize more two-tight end sets with Higbee and Everett to make their offense even more versatile and unpredictable?
That’s up to Sean McVay and new offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, but at least there are countless options with this group. Higbee’s breakout season came at the perfect time for the Rams, especially since they just signed him to an extension in September.