It’s a bit jarring to see clips of a rookie in a Los Angeles Rams uniform wearing #18 and realizing that it’s not Cooper Kupp. It’s made even more so when you continue to see him making play after play in camp.
Rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson has been turning heads with his playmaking and attitude so far in the offseason.
Rams head coach Sean McVay remarked about Ferguson’s mentality, calling him “attentive” and he’s been “really impressed” by the rookie’s feel for the game.
When Sean McVay speaks, it’s important to listen. He rarely lies or misleads people.
It tends to take tight ends a few years to get acclimated to the NFL, but Ferguson isn’t a traditional tight end. He’s built in the same vein as players like Sam LaPorta, Evan Engram, Mark Andrews, and other tight ends who are more “jumbo” wide receivers than true tight ends. Each of those players were productive rookies, and Ferguson is in a perfect situation to join that group.
The Rams have more or less made it publicly known that they want to be more of a 12-personnel, multiple tight end-heavy offense in 2025, and Ferguson is a key step to achieving that aim.
Given that the Rams don’t have a true full-time slot, it might fall to Ferguson to handle the bulk of the work there. Throughout OTAs, it seems like the Rams are challenging him to improve on his blocking ability, particularly on the move and out in space. That is a key area the Rams relied on Kupp to provide for their run game, and it was his ability there that shifted the Rams’ focus offensively to become a heavy 11-personnel team.
If Ferguson can bring a similar impact, perhaps this will be another monumental shift for McVay’s offense and can change the dynamics of how Los Angeles attacks defenses in the future.
