Tyler Higbee is a Stud

[fanotodd]

Funny how things change from one year to the next. It wasn’t long ago when a healthy Higs and Havs anchored the run game on the right side.
Havs was the best run blocking tackle that year with Higbee helping out.
—that was the SB year. This year everyone wants to trade both of them.

I think Higbee is an excellent blocker but has really lacked targets to be consistently effective in the passing game. Having said that, he HAS made some clutch grabs.

I always felt that trading him (or everett) would actually help his career because he’d get more targets.

I think this is the year he sees more targets. This discussion should resume after the season.

 

[So Ram]

Funny how things change from one year to the next. It wasn’t long ago when a healthy Higs and Havs anchored the run game on the right side.
Havs was the best run blocking tackle that year with Higbee helping out.
—that was the SB year. This year everyone wants to trade both of them.

I think Higbee is an excellent blocker but has really lacked targets to be consistently effective in the passing game. Having said that, he HAS made some clutch grabs.

I always felt that trading him (or everett) would actually help his career because he’d get more targets.

I think this is the year he sees more targets. This discussion should resume after the season.

I’d say now is a good time for prediction & who will be the Starting TE’s ?

 

[Memphis Ram]

Yeah, you dont usually get targeted when you're not open.
Higbee has been nothing more than a Jag outside of a 4 game blip

That 4 game blip? Gerald Everett was out injured. Higbee's production directly correlated with Gerald Everett's availability. IMO, he could still be a stud target. He just needs the opportunity. But yes, injury or no, he didn't seem to block as well last year.

 

[FrantikRam]

That 4 game blip? Gerald Everett was out injured. Higbee's production directly correlated with Gerald Everett's availability. IMO, he could still be a stud target. He just needs the opportunity. But yes, injury or no, he didn't seem to block as well last year.

From a pass catching perspective I didn't see anything out of Higbee that was different than 2019.

 

[ottoman89]

I like Higs, he's not an All Pro but he's an upper tier TE. I feel his injuries hindered him last year.

I'm looking forward to Stafford finding him down the seam this season for some big plays!

 

[NJRamsFan]

I would use the word “stud” to describe Travis Kelce or a prime Gronk....not Higbee. He played at a “Stud” level for four games. His career has been 5 years.

 

[Psycho_X]

Anyone know if he had surgery on the elbow? It was heavily wrapped most of the season and looked to limit some range of motion.

In 2020 he wasn’t the same receiving threat... 521yds ranked 17th among TE’s.

Tight End TE Stats Cheat Sheet NFL Current Season Statistics

Rank NFL Tight Ends by Current Season Statistics - receiving yards per game, targets per game, catches per game, etc.

fantasyfootballers.org

Was wondering about this too, I think that arm had at least some impact on his play this past season. I don't know if it had a major impact but I'm sure it didn't help. I'm really excited to see a healthy Higbee with Stafford. I'm also really excited to see if Hopkins earns McVay's trust because he's got talent to exploit defenses badly. If Djax stays healthy taking the top off, Kupp/Woods attracting all of the attention underneath, throw in a playmaking TE with Akers out of the backfield.... it could be magical.

 

[dieterbrock]

That 4 game blip? Gerald Everett was out injured. Higbee's production directly correlated with Gerald Everett's availability.

Everett out was a small part of it, be it that Higbee saw 12 targets per game during that stretch. Prior to that, they had only combined for 11 targets twice, over 12 once in all the time together, usually between a combined 5-8 targets.
In retrospect that 4-5 game sample, glimpse, blip, or whatever term we want to use, was a very odd occurrence, Hadnt seen anything like it prior, and surely havent seen anything like it since.

 

[dieterbrock]

Anyone know if he had surgery on the elbow? It was heavily wrapped most of the season and looked to limit some range of motion.

In 2020 he wasn’t the same receiving threat... 521yds ranked 17th among TE’s.

Well, in actuality, 2020 would have been his career year save that 4 game stretch in '19. Heading in to week 13, Higbee was sitting on about 220 yards for the season, "on pace" for his typical 300-320 yards and a couple TD's.

 

[blackbart]

I recall seeing him on the sideline a few times in a lot of pain in 2020. No way he could be the same blocker with that arm jacked up. Whatever it was he should have had it fixed as soon as they were out of the playoffs.

That stretch in ‘19 seemed to be a change in McVay’s play calling as much as anything.

He still has some decent plays last year where RAC was good after short passes and some mid-level stuff too.

As others have said combining with Stafford should get him more looks but, there’s only one ball.

 

[So Ram]

Everett out was a small part of it, be it that Higbee saw 12 targets per game during that stretch. Prior to that, they had only combined for 11 targets twice, over 12 once in all the time together, usually between a combined 5-8 targets.
In retrospect that 4-5 game sample, glimpse, blip, or whatever term we want to use, was a very odd occurrence, Hadnt seen anything like it prior, and surely havent seen anything like it since.

2020 play calling was really different than years past.Phillips will be the pass game Coordinator which should be a bit more TE friendly

 

[Reddog99]

After the Eagles game in 2020 I thought we were gonna see more of the Higbee that we had seen late in 2019. He can be good but there's definitely room for improvement when it comes to our TE's. I'm hoping we address that position in the draft but I won't hold my breath.

 

[So Ram]

I recall seeing him on the sideline a few times in a lot of pain in 2020. No way he could be the same blocker with that arm jacked up. Whatever it was he should have had it fixed as soon as they were out of the playoffs.

That stretch in ‘19 seemed to be a change in McVay’s play calling as much as anything.

He still has some decent plays last year where RAC was good after short passes and some mid-level stuff too.

As others have said combining with Stafford should get him more looks but, there’s only one ball.

- agree - but what difference over the years play calling has changed ??!Mcvay has been the OC,but every season the OC has changed.
At first The Rams never had a Run & pass game Coordinator.
Now Mcvay has OC 2nd yr. & 2 new game Coordinator in Phillips & T. Brown.

 

[dieterbrock]

Without looking I'd wager that Higbees catch percentage and YPC are around what McVay had in Washington. Just a matter of targets.

Yeah, you've said this before, but that doesnt say anything. He's getting targets if he's open, not getting targets if he isnt.
Jordan Reed got almost 120 targets playing for McVay, Reed and Davis combined for 160 targets in another year, only held back for injuries. We havent seen anything like that with the Rams.
If Higbee was the 12 target guy we saw in '19, he'd have been in '20, instead the 2 combined for about 8 target per game

 

[blackbart]

- agree - but what difference over the years play calling has changed ??!Mcvay has been the OC,but every season the OC has changed.
At first The Rams never had a Run & pass game Coordinator.
Now Mcvay has OC 2nd yr. & 2 new game Coordinator in Phillips & T. Brown.

I never saw anyone but McVay talking to Goff but that doesn’t mean someone else just wasn’t shown on tv.

Like any good coordinator, they plays called are taking advantage of the opponent weaknesses and your team’s strengths. Sometimes there are changes because other teams are catching on.

I think Higbey has shown he can be an asset when given the opportunity. I’d much rather see him getting looks than those stupid WR screens we saw in 2020.

 

[blackbart]

Yeah, you've said this before, but that doesnt say anything. He's getting targets if he's open, not getting targets if he isnt.
Jordan Reed got almost 120 targets playing for McVay, Reed and Davis combined for 160 targets in another year, only held back for injuries. We havent seen anything like that with the Rams.
If Higbee was the 12 target guy we saw in '19, he'd have been in '20, instead the 2 combined for about 8 target per game

I think the targets is more a function of the QB ability and confidence or lack there of.

 

[dieterbrock]

I think the targets is more a function of the QB ability and confidence or lack there of.

If that were the case, (Being Goff's fault) then you'd have expected Higbee's targets to have gone up not down. Goff's depth of pass was lowest of McVay era, while his comp % was his career high, meaning he was taking less risk and throwing short. Even #16's staunchest defenders will agree he locked in on Kupp and even Woods to a point even though they were blanketed. Surely if the TE, (who was allegedly QB's best friend, practice buddy, rookie roomie etc) was open as a safety valve, the unconfident and unable QB would have tried to get him the ball....

 

[So Ram]

I never saw anyone but McVay talking to Goff but that doesn’t mean someone else just wasn’t shown on tv.

Like any good coordinator, they plays called are taking advantage of the opponent weaknesses and your team’s strengths. Sometimes there are changes because other teams are catching on.

I think Higbey has shown he can be an asset when given the opportunity. I’d much rather see him getting looks than those stupid WR screens we saw in 2020.

Agree - in a sense

Mcvay was making most of the play calls. In 2020 though the play(game) flow had changed more than ever Imo.
O’Connell was supposedly helping in play calls though.I never saw the booth,but Kromer,O’Connell,& Waldron were never on the sideline.
Goff took longer with his play calling.Mcvay in Hard Knocks was questioning him. He gave an answer Mcvay like & said basically he loved that answer. -Then during the season Goff was held accountable at times.Usually Mcvay would call a Timeout when the clock ran down. Late in the season that changed back. Mcvay took that responsibility back.

— Z. Robinson is going to even have a voice in play calling & communication with Stafford & Wolford. I’m excited to see Bryce Perkins & how The Rams play call for him. - That said we did see the difference in Wolford & Goff when it came to certain play call.

—Mcvay will be moving players around more & open things up because of Matthew Stafford’s athletic abilities.

I don’t know what TE & RB group will totally look like. Will The Rams draft of sign a URRFA TE/FB ?

 

[Merlin]

I think the targets is more a function of the QB ability and confidence or lack there of.

I agree. We saw a significant uptick in targeting of our TEs when Goff came out in fact which backs that up. And I think once again that Goff was never comfortable throwing to some of these guys unless they were wide open. He's just not a guy with a strong feel for throwing contested balls.

But either way going forward I don't feel like Higs is some all-star waiting to happen or anything. He's more of a good all-around type TE. So will his numbers go up with 9 behind center? I think that is likely. But he's never going to be elite.

 

[Classic Rams]

Love Higbee. Hope he gels with Stafford this year and puts up his best numbers. But no more 3rd and short long passes to him please, Sean.