Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee was injured in what was the final game of their season. In fact, he is still recovering from a grade 3 ACL and MCL tear in his right knee that required surgical repair. It was expected that he would miss games and this was confirmed when he was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) earlier this week.
Here is an explainer of the PUP list rules for those interested.
About three and half months before he was injured, Higbee and the Rams agreed to a 2-year, $17 million extension. Higbee’s $12.6 million cap hit is the highest of his career and represents nearly 5 percent of the total cap.
Of course, the stalwart at the position will be missed for the duration of his recovery, but after one day of Rams training camp, the succession plan looks a little less murky.
TEs Shine At Los Angeles Rams Camp
If forced to pick a winner of the day, the Rams defense got day one. Coverage was sticky and the pass rush was potent. But what that allowed was for quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo to seek Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson in the 11-on-11 sections of practice. Both were targeted at a high rate. And both put up plays in the red zone portion of those sections. Each caught touchdown passes, and both were impressive athletic spectacles.
“You’ve got to be able to use all five eligibles to be good at throwing the football.” Head coach Sean McVay said when asked about Allen’s TD catch, “I think we’ve got some guys that can absolutely do that. Obviously, we know that we’ll miss Tyler Higby, but whether it’s Davis, Hunter Long, and obviously Colby Parkinson, getting him, I feel really excited about those three guys and what they can bring to the table.”
While Higbee was not an active participant as a player, his presence was felt as a coach and mentor to the rest of the room. He was proactive on the field and on the sidelines when it came to those aspects.
