Both Allen and Long are role players. It will be interesting if the Rams don't trade or release Higbee this year. If Tyler is a post June one release the Rams recoup $6.7M of cap. It would explain why they considered jumping up into the first round for Kincaid in a trade at #20 with Detroit. But the cost was too high and personally, I think they made the right choice.
The Rams could go with Allen, Long, and Hopkins. But they could simply stay where they are and release Hopkins and draft a TE next year. Frankly, in light of all their other releases, $9.1M for a moderately productive TE is a lot. He's a poor blocker who even missed chip blocks. Time for an upgrade at the position and I think either one Allen or Long can fill that production. I believed the rumors they tried to trade him during the draft but had zero takers, especially for that cap number. It was the primary motivation to insist upon Long being included in the Ramsey trade. Higbee's production has been in decline for the past 3 years. His best year was 2019 under Goff and was only 734 yards and 3 TDs and it has been downhill ever since. Higbee is a fan favorite, but his cost makes no sense if they are really trimming fat.
Funny how fans discount the value of Jefferson and inflate the value of Higbee. With this large draft class the Rams will need to clear more cap. Releasing Higbee post June 1 makes a whole lot of sense. That $6.7 M is exactly what they need in terms of cap clearance to go into the season. He's gone next year regardless (this is the last year of his contract).