The Los Angeles Rams already had a deep group of tight ends, and they added to it this offseason. That could loom large for incumbents like Rams tight end Colby Parkinson.
Parkinson is entering his seventh NFL season and is coming off a career year in LA.
The Rams have stacked the deck over the past couple of offseasons. It was largely part of planning for their future. However, it also potentially put pressure on Parkinson and some of their other more veteran options to prove their worth during the offseason program.
Colby Parkinson Listed as Rams’ Projected Cut Candidate
GettyThe Los Angeles Rams could make an unexpected pivot away from Colby Parkinson this offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes the Rams could still cut ties with Parkinson before all is said and done this offseason.
They are overloaded at the position with a long way to go until the campaign arrives.
“Colby Parkinson is a surprise cut candidate,” Moton wrote on May 17, selecting the Rams veteran for his list of one option on every team. “However, the Los Angeles Rams have been hoarding tight ends in recent years. They selected Terrence Ferguson and Max Klare in the second round of the previous two drafts and signed Tyler Higbee to an extension.
“If the Rams keep four tight ends at the roster cutdown deadline, like they did last year, Parkinson could be on the outs because of his contract. Los Angeles can save $7 million by cutting him.”
Parkinson is in the final year of a three-year, $22.5 million contract that he signed with the Rams during the 2024 offseason.
The 6-foot-7 tight end was part of the NFL’s No. 1 offense and passing attack in 2025.
Parkinson ranked third on the team–and led Rams tight ends–with career-highs of 43 receptions, 408 yards, and 8 touchdowns. He has 130 catches for 1,320 yards and 13 TDs so far in his career.
The Seattle Seahawks originally selected Parkinson in the fourth round, with the 133rd overall pick of the 2020 draft.
Rams Have Loaded TE Room Amid Offseason Program
GettyTyler Higbee’s return looms large for Colby Parkinson and the rest of the Los Angeles Rams’ tight ends.
The Rams’ tight end room is six-deep. That includes the four aforementioned players, 2023 fifth-round pick Davis Allen, and 2025 undrafted free agent Mark Redman.
Redman has yet to play in a regular-season game, but Allen had a 24-208-3 line in 2025.
It is fair to wonder how Higbee’s return on a new deal will impact Parkinson and the Rams’ decision about the latter’s future. Part of Parkinson’s ascension in the pecking order of the Rams’ offense was Higbee’s injury-marred campaign in 2025.
The veteran and Super Bowl champion started eight of the 10 games that he played in. Moreover, Parkinson posted a 24-249-4 line in six games from Week 12 through Week 17 without Higbee.
That does not factor in a step forward from Ferguson or Klare’s potential immediate impact.
The Rams ran sets with multiple tight ends at the ninth-highest rate of any team in the league last season, per Sharp Football Analysis on May 6. That was with them committing to the groupings with the season already underway.
Their current roster suggests the Rams could lean on those looks a lot more in 2026. That could help Parkinson, since the Rams will likely roster more tight ends than other teams will.
Rams Projected to Part Ways With Expensive Starter in ‘Surprise’ Decision