Top Rams players from the 2022 season, No. 10: Tyler Higbee

The 2022 Los Angeles Rams season featured a lot of changing parts. Franchise cornerstone Andrew Whitworth retired after the Super Bowl. 2021 mid-season trade acquisition Von Miller went east and joined the Buffalo Bills. Robert Woods was traded to the Tennessee Titans. And Odell Beckham Jr went unsigned as he recovered from an ACL tear. From Week 1, the Rams started losing starters to injuries. This forced new names into more prominent roles.

In continuing the countdown list of the 2022 Los Angeles Rams top 15 individual performers, let’s take a quick look first at the current list.

#15 - Van Jefferson, WR

#14 - Tutu Atwell, WR

#13 - Matthew Stafford, QB

#12 - Ernest Jones, ILB

#11 - Michael Hoecht, EDGE

The top 10 kicks off with a seven year veteran of the Rams franchise…

#10 - Tyler Higbee, TE

Whether you like it or not, Tyler Higbee is a valuable tight end. Higbee’s 2022 salary was $7.25 million (the NFL’s 18th highest paid tight end). He exceeded that value by finishing in the Top 10 (9th) for tight ends with 620 receiving yards.

What frustrates the Rams fan base is his inconsistency. Higbee had five games this year where he caught two or less passes along with five games this year where he had 15 receiving yards or less. The drops are another glaring issue. Higbee had seven drops in 2022. His previous high was three. His blocking remains league average at best.

Despite all of those concerns, Higbee has stuck in the trenches through injury. He only missed one game this year, at Kansas City, because of injury. Sometimes, you wonder if Sean McVay forgets that he has Higbee at his disposal. Through the first five weeks of the season, Higbee had 33 receptions (48 targets) and 290 yards. He was one of the best tight ends to start the year. In the following three games though, he only caught three passes (nine targets) for 22 yards.

His best game was against the third ranked Denver Broncos defense on Christmas Day in Week 16. The starting tight end brought in nine receptions on 11 targets for 94 yards and two touchdowns.

Higbee also claimed the title as the Rams all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards, and touchdowns.

Higbee finished the season with a PFF grade of 62.7 (33rd / 74 tight ends). The decision to keep, release, or trade Tyler Higbee this offseason will be one of the biggest decisions for Les Snead and Sean McVay.