As the Rams (7-6) prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers (6-7) on Thursday night, a player whose status bears monitoring is tight end Tyler Higbee.
The eight-year veteran has yet to play in a game this season since tearing his ACL in January and undergoing surgeries on his knee and shoulder during the offseason. He returned to practice two weeks ago, and was listed as a full participant for all three days of practice last week.
But entering this short week of preparation, the Rams still haven’t made a determination on whether or not Higbee will make his season debut.
At the time of his Monday morning Zoom call with reporters, head coach Sean McVay had not yet met with vice president of sports medicine Reggie Scott to get a sense of where Higbee and others are in their various states of recovery and rehab.
But of the veteran tight end, McVay said, “We’ll see.”
“That was always something that we left open as a possibility,” the coach added about the possibility of Higbee playing this week, “but certainly don’t want to rush it.”
While McVay – who won’t speak with media again until after Thursday’s game – has been complimentary of how Higbee has looked at practice and the energy he has brought back to the team, the coach has also preached caution about bringing the veteran back so soon after his major knee injury.
Last week, McVay said the Rams were comfortable using the full 21 days of practice time if necessary before activating Higbee. That would allow them to wait until next week ahead of a road game at the New York Jets.
McVay also provided an update on wide receiver Demarcus Robinson on Monday. The veteran suffered an AC sprain in Sunday’s 44-42 win over the Buffalo Bills. While McVay had yet to speak with Scott, he was optimistic that Robinson – who is also dealing with a hand avulsion – will play against the 49ers.
“I’m sure he’ll be really sore this morning,” McVay said. “The hope is that it shouldn’t affect his status for the game.”
There was less certainty around the status of cornerback Cobie Durant, who suffered a lung contusion against the Bills.
Related Articles
Rams WR Demarcus Robinson leaves Bills game with shoulder injury
Rams’ offense puts together explosive performance to top Bills
Rams’ offensive line looks to build for playoff stretch
Buffalo Bills at Rams: Who has the edge?
Rams’ Jordan Whittington providing a spark at kick returner
“He’s going to be ok,” McVay said. “I don’t know exactly what his status will be as it relates to this game.”
If Durant can’t play, the coach added, Emmanuel Forbes would likely make his Rams debut. The 2023 first-round pick was claimed by the Rams off waivers last Monday and practiced with the team ahead of the Buffalo game. But the team didn’t want to rush him onto the field as he adjusted to his new defense.
“He’s looked really good in some of these practice settings,” McVay said Friday. “You can see his movement and he is getting up to speed with some of the things that we’re asking.”