Rams’ Draft Pick Predicted to Take Super Bowl Champion’s Job

The Los Angeles Rams got what they believe is a first-round talent in the second round with tight end Terrance Ferguson, the No. 46 overall pick of the 2024 draft.

A four-year contributor in college for the Oregon Ducks, Ferguson recorded 134 receptions, 1,537 yards, and 16 touchdowns in his career, including a 43-59-3 line in 2024 despite the loss of a first-round pick at quarterback in Bo Nix to the Denver Broncos in the draft that year.

Now, Ferguson could make his mark on the Rams from the outset.

Ferguson must climb a depth chart that includes veteran Tyler Higbee. The former fourth-round pick, Higbee, was a key part of the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl team.

“Tyler Higbee will enter training camp as the Rams’ starting tight end, but he’s getting older, is entering a contract year and didn’t look the same last year after recovering from a knee injury during the 2023 playoffs,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote on May 15. “Meanwhile, the Rams spent a second-round pick on Ferguson, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the rookie get the nod over Higbee this fall.”

The Rams still used a premium pick, regardless of it being their first in the draft, to select Ferguson. And if pre-draft reports are true, Ferguson’s ascension on the Rams’ depth chart could be a matter of when and not if.

“The Rams traded out of the first round with two tight ends in mind — Oregon’s Terrance Ferguson and LSU’s Mason Taylor,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on May 7. “They would have been happy with either player, but one team source insists Ferguson was top in that order, so he would have been the pick if Taylor had been there. (Taylor went four spots earlier to the Jets.)”

Tyler Higbee on Notice After Rams Draft Terrance Ferguson

Ferguson’s arrival is a reality check for Higbee, the Rams’ TE1 when healthy since 2017. Higbee had missed no more than two games in any season before losing 14 due to injury in 2024.

“Tyler Higbee, who is 32, missed most of the 2024 season with injuries, and the Rams needed to improve the depth behind him,” ESPN’s Steve Muench wrote after the pick. “Ferugson has the potential to develop into a No. 1 tight end, and he gives the Rams someone who can make an immediate impact as a receiver.”

Higbee (8-66-2 in 2024) posted a 72-catch season in 2023. However, he has not topped 3 touchdowns in a single season since 2021. His catch rate has also been 67.1% or worse in the three campaigns that followed the Super Bowl run.

He could be a trade or even cut candidate.

The latter outcome seems less likely, especially if Higbee is healthy. But doing so, even after June 1, would save the Rams $4.7 million with $4.1 million in dead cap, per Over The Cap.

A trade, again after June 1, would save LA $6.7 million with $2.1 million left on their books. The Rams have $19.5 million in space, per OTC. They do not need to make any drastic decisions on Higbee.

However, trading him could also soften the blow of absorbing another player in a trade.

Colby Parkinson Overlooked in Rams TE Debate

Colby Parkinson appears to be the odd man out in the Rams’ potential tight end battle with Ferguson and Higbee leading. He was a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2020. Parkinson, 26, caught 30 passes for 294 yards and 1 TD in his first season with the Rams.

He started nine games as Higbee missed time to begin the season, tallying a 25-235-0 line in those contests.

If Ferguson starts and Higbee stays with the Rams, Parkinson will be left fighting for snaps.