The Los Angeles Rams have quickly become a dark horse Super Bowl candidate this season. But to keep their season alive against the Philadelphia Eagles, they’re going to need to be the healthier team — even if it requires tight end Tyler Higbee gutting it out.
Here’s the latest update on the tight end and his injury from Wild Card Weekend.
What Is Tyler Higbee’s Injury?
It has been a rough few months for Higbee. After finally returning to the lineup in Week 16 from a torn ACL and MCL suffered in last year’s Wild Card Round, he was beginning to show flashes of his old self against the Minnesota Vikings.
In just over 10 minutes, he already had five catches on targets for 58 yards, all team-highs. However, somewhere in that timeframe, Higbee went down with a chest injury. Exiting the game, he didn’t return at all, with Los Angeles declaring that he had a chest contusion.
On Tuesday, head coach Sean McVay divulged more information about the injury, revealing that Higbee had to be hospitalized as he was “coughing up a little bit of blood.”
Is Higbee Playing Against the Philadelphia Eagles?
McVay confirmed that Higbee was making the trip to Philadelphia with full intentions of suiting up for the game. On Wednesday, the first sign that he would play came to fruition when he was listed as limited, rather than a non-participant.
“He has full expectation that he’ll be ready to go, but I do not have any updates from (VP of medicine Reggie Scott) yet. … You felt his presence early. He was on pace to have a really big night, and he still made a huge contribution even just playing a quarter,” McVay told reporters.
Fans monitored Higbee’s practice participation throughout the week, although McVay’s optimism was enough to calm their nerves.
Having already gotten the thumbs up from McVay, the Los Angeles faithful can count on Higbee for Sunday’s clash in Philadelphia.
Higbee’s Impact on the Rams
Throughout his nine-year run with the Rams, Higbee has been one of the most reliable names, albeit an unsung contributor on some star-studded units. His connection with Matthew Stafford in particular is something to behold. During their Super Bowl-winning run in 2021, Higbee had a career year with five touchdowns.
Thus, his contributions will be invaluable for Los Angeles as it attempts to win its second Super Bowl of the decade. Even in his absence (or limited availability) the team has enough depth to stay afloat. All season, Colby Parkinson has taken on the starting job, holding down the fort with 294 yards and a score while Higbee worked his way back.
Davis Allen and Hunter Long can also contribute at the tight end spot. While neither are exceptional receiving threats — the former had a 13-yard touchdown on Monday — the full health of Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, and Kyren Williams should be enough to power this offense forward. This season, the Rams ranked 11th in PFN’s Offense+ metric.
Regardless, McVay isn’t too worried about the TE situation. “I think it’s a tremendous credit to really [tight ends coach] Nick Caley’s leadership in that room. You look at how much better all of those guys have gotten throughout this year,” McVay said. “They’re very good football players that are interchangeable and I think that’s a really valuable trait for us.”
