Through the first nine games of the season, the Rams' tight ends have combined for 50 receptions (on 70 targets) for 518 yards and seven touchdowns, with Higbee, Parkinson, Allen and Ferguson all having over 100 receiving yards and at least one touchdown. By comparison, for the entire 2024 regular season, they had a combined 51 receptions (on 83 targets) for 459 yards and three touchdowns. Parkinson was the only member of the group to exceed 100 receiving yards on the year, and Higbee was responsible for two of those touchdowns.
Any of them are capable of making a play for the Rams offense, and when one of them does, the rest are just as excited as if they had caught the touchdown themselves.
For the rookie Ferguson, the unselfish attitude is an easy one for the group to embrace because of the example set by Higbee's leadership, as well as Parkinson's.
"Higs especially, he's been that for however many years he's played," Ferguson said. "He goes out there and blocks his ass off, and there's a bunch of other stuff that he does that is so selfless. He's super happy for everyone's success. You go watch Higs, he's celebrating with the best of them, especially other people. I think all of us thrive off of Higbee and what we've learned from him, at least in some sort of capacity. So I think when you got the right guys, it's just kind of a non-negotiable to be able to be selfless."
"I'm just being myself, man," Higbee said. "It's a game that we're getting paid to play that we grew up loving, you know what I mean? So I enjoy coming to work. I enjoy it. Makes it easier when you do have a good group of guys that you're coming to work with every day. We spend more time with each other than we do with our families sometimes during a season. So, yeah, I'm just out there having fun, being myself, and then if that helps lead by example, that's awesome. And I care for those guys. They are my family, you know? So I want the best for them. There's no ill will towards anybody. You just want to see people have success that put the work in."
There's a relatability and connection amongst the group even though they vary in age and NFL experience. They enjoy each other's company whether it's on the practice field or in the meeting rooms.
Every time they see Higbee in the tight end room, they joke with Higbee by calling him "sensei" and bow to him, since he's the oldest and has been on the team the longest, according to Allen.
"I think we got a lot of good people (in the room)," Ferguson said. "One like, off the field, they're good dads, good sons, and great people to learn from just off the field especially. But it's different personalities. Higs is a little more, got the swag to his dances, a little more energetic and some of the stuff, he's been around, he has that charisma, and everyone has their own little way of doing it. But at the end of the day, like we're all very compatible, get along well off the field, and I think makes it easy when you got a room like that, where you got guys you can learn from on football, off the field, with how they carry themselves. For me, it's just been such a blessing to see those guys and learn from them. But everybody gets along. We all joke around. We spent a good (amount of) time together. Even with our coach, he gets us going, too."
"I feel like tight ends kind of have a reputation (of) being the easygoing guys, and that's definitely the case here," Parkinson said. "None of us are stressed about getting the ball or whatever the case is. We just want to help the team out. And off the field we're close as well. So that helps, and that shows up when we play, too."
Ferguson bringing up Huff isn't surprising, as head coach Sean McVay said earlier this week that Huff's personality is part of what brings out the best in each of the tight ends, striking the right balance between having fun and knowing when it's time to work. And he's the position group's biggest fan.
Huff is authentically himself every day, comes to work happy every day and loves his job.
"He comes out and keeps stuff light-hearted, but also has great coaching points and really cares about his guys," Ferguson said. "Like he'll ride for the tight ends no matter what. He's trying to get us as many pass opportunities as possible, but he's coaching us at the highest clip. He's in there, whether it's a walkthrough (or normal practice) getting details right, and he does that, but he also has the love for the guys and can sit there and joke with us, and is a great personality to be around. He makes everybody around him in a better mood. You can't have bad day with Coach Huff or the room that we have. And it makes coming to work so enjoyable. And that's him and his personality, he just lights up the room."
"He allows everybody to not overthink things," Higbee said. "He does a good job of coaching and giving us the right information that we need to know, not necessarily overloading with things that we don't. And then always keeps it hot and fresh in there, and brings the energy."