The Promise of When Rams Name Terrance Ferguson Starting TE

Tyler Higbee is the incumbent starter in L.A. for the Rams. On a recent episode of the Los Angeles Rams Insider Podcast featuring Claudette Montana and Senior Beat Writer Hondo Carpenter, the host brought up the brilliant potential of the Rams tight end from Oregon, Terrance Ferguson, by asking the veteran journalist and podcaster his opinion on if the rookie will emerge as the starter for the defending NFC West champions by the time that the bye week comes around.

"Boy, I think this guy has a shot," acknowledged Carpenter. "I like his game. I'll tell you, the last thing that stands out to me the most about him, Claudette, is the what he does without the football."

Carperner then recalled a conversation with a Hall of Fame Coach. "Years ago, I'll never forget Don Shula, when we were talking about the best receivers, We were talking about players in general. But I said, 'What really stands out to you about a great receiver?'. He said, 'Everybody watches what they do when the ball is in their hands, but the best wide receivers understand what to do without the football makes me a great receiver'. He goes, 'Lots of guys can catch it, lots of guys can run, but what you can do, those intangible things without the football, that separates guys."

"And he [Terrance Ferguson] has that 'it factor'. Obviously, there's a maturation level. Obviously, it's learning how to grow into who he is, but he has all of the God given skills to be great. And the thing I think that sets him apart is [that] he has the 'want to'. How many people do we know, Claudette, who you look at and they're a physical specimen, but they don't have the heart. This guy has all the intangibles and the tangibles. I think there's a great shot. I'm a buyer on this kid.

By selecting Terrance Ferguson in the second round with the 46th overall selection in 2025, it seems like Les Snead and Sean McVay see Ferguson as the future flag bearer of the tight ends room for the league's NFC representative from the City of Angels. It seems even more like it's not a question of "if", but more like a promise of "when".