The Los Angeles Rams made a splash in their tight end room this offseason, adding Colby Parkinson away from division foe the Seattle Seahawks. This move, in addition to the players already on the Rams' roster, makes their tight end room an interesting one.
With a potential move to utilizing more heavy personnel looks in 2024, their tight end room could play a significant role in their 2024 offensive success.
Tyler Higbee
One of the longest-tenured players on the Rams' roster, Higbee has been a key cog for the Rams' offense for the last seven years. Unfortunately, the ever-reliable Higbee will likely open the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in the Rams' Wild Card loss in January. His timetable is unknown right now, but Higbee will likely miss a significant amount of time, even into the regular season.
When he returns, Higbee should be the leader of this room with his hands and knack for getting open and generating yards after the catch. The long-term concerns for Higbee cast a bit of a shadow, but hopefully, Higbee can return to form and help the Rams make a playoff push.
Colby Parkinson
The Rams snagged Parkinson in the offseason, signing him to a three-year, $22.5 million deal. Parkinson steps in as the likely TE1 with Higbee battling an injury. With the Seattle Seahawks, Parkinson caught just 25 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns. Parkinson should be a solid-level replacement as a receiver. Seattle didn't throw his way often, given the bevy of weapons their offense featured, and that should be much the same in LA. However, when he did get the ball, he often created explosive plays. While he won't wow anyone to the same degree as a tight end like Travis Kelce or Brock Bowers, Parkinson is superb at finding holes in zone coverages and working open. He'll be a valuable red zone and short-yardage weapon.
Where Parkinson's value picks up is as a blocker. His fundamentals inline and ability to hold up in run and pass blocking allowed Seattle to get creative out of 12-personnel, something the Rams could be looking at exploring more of this season. I'm very intrigued by his skill set and what he could be for the Rams in 2024 and beyond.
Davis Allen
A fifth-round pick out of Clemson in the 2023 NFL Draft, I've written previously about why Allen could be a breakout candidate for the Rams in 2024. His athleticism and ability as a receiver could open up so many things for the Rams' offense. McVay could scheme him up plenty of opportunity and looks to do damage after the catch.
Hunter Long
Long was acquired as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade with the Miami Dolphins. So far, he has yet to do much in a Rams uniform. Long played just 80 total snaps for the Rams in 2023 and could be a roster cut. A third-round pick by the Dolphins in the 2021 NFL Draft, Long has caught one pass for eight yards in three years while battling injuries each year. He made his mark as a reliable blocker in the pre-draft process, so there could be value in him as the TE3 while Higbee recovers, but his roster spot feels precarious.
Nikola Kalinic
A former CFL player, the 27-year-old Nikola Kalinic spent 2023 on the practice squad. He previously was with the Indianapolis Colts before signing with the Rams in July of 2023. There's not a lot of film out there on Kalinic, appearing in just one preseason game with the Rams and mainly serving as a blocker with the Colts. He has one catch in the NFL, coming in the 2022 preseason in Indianapolis. He's a willing blocker, at least, but there's not enough to suggest he's a viable candidate to make the roster.
Miller Forristall
Out of all the Rams' bottom-of-the-roster TEs, Forristall is the only one who has a touchdown to his tally, coming in the 2022 preseason. A UDFA out of the 2021 NFL Draft, Forristall signed with the Titans before bouncing to the Saints and Browns, where he spent the 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons on their practice squad. Forristall mainly saw action on special teams in Cleveland, serving as an extra blocker.
Forristall was a serviceable target coming out of Alabama in the 2021 NFL Draft, displaying good competitive toughness and a reliable skill set as a receiver and blocker. While he isn't overly dynamic, Forristall adjusts well to off-target passes. I'm not sure how much of a shot he has to make the roster, but he could play a decent chunk of snaps in the preseason.
Neal Johnson
A wild card in the Rams TE room, 2024 UDFA rookie Neal Johnson is the most proven receiver of the bottom crowd of guys. He didn't catch the ball often for Louisiana in their run-heavy offense, but he was a reliable weapon whose production improved year after year with the Ragin Cajuns. His film showed a solid ability to play up the seam, work open, and create some plays after the catch. Johnson finished as an All-Sun Belt Third-Team tight end in 2023 after posting five touchdowns on the season.
He isn't quite as gifted a blocker as others on this list, but he has the size for it at 6'3, 245 pounds. Johnson's poor testing numbers really dipped his stock, but we know how the Rams feel about testing numbers vs. football speed. He'll have an upward climb to make the team, but I'm intrigued by him as a receiving TE3.
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