There’s been a lot of excitement surrounding Los Angeles Rams rookie Terrance Ferguson this offseason, being the team’s top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He shined in his preseason debut against the Cleveland Browns a few weeks ago but he was absent from the game plan in Week 1 of the regular season.
Ferguson dressed and was active, but he didn’t play a single offensive snap and only contributed on special teams. That surprised some, but being a rookie tight end who missed a few weeks with a groin injury this summer, the Rams are taking it slow with their young playmaker.
Sean McVay was asked about Ferguson on the “Coach McVay Show” this week and he acknowledged that the Rams want to find a way to get him going on offense. They just felt it was best to lean on their veterans in Tyer Higbee, Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen against a physical Texans team on Sunday.
“Ferguson is going to be a factor for us. We’ve got to be able to figure out a way to get him involved,” McVay said. “He had the groin injury where he missed a bunch of time. That type of game, felt like that was going to be the best approach. Obviously, great having Higbee back. I think Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen have both improved tremendously, and Ferguson is a guy that’s going to be a really good player for us.”
Ferguson may not have caught a pass or played on offense, but McVay liked the way he contributed on special teams and supported his teammates – specifically noting his celebration after Allen’s go-ahead touchdown.
“I love his response in terms of making his presence felt where he could, but you look at who’s one of the first people to come out there and greet (Allen) with the salute, it’s Terrance Ferguson – after Davis catches the touchdown and then he’s out there playing wing on the field goal operation,” McVay added.
J.B. Long followed up by suggesting Ferguson will be part of the equation “sooner rather than later” based on the fact that he was dressed and active.
“No question, that’s exactly right. You know that,” McVay confirmed.
During McVay’s press conference earlier on Monday, he once again said that Ferguson’s “going to be a factor for us, as well” when discussing the depth the Rams have behind Higbee with Parkinson and Allen.
As for the plan at tight end moving forward, McVay said it will vary by week. All four players have fairly different skill sets so they can utilize them in a variety of ways. Ferguson is likely the best receiver of the group but Higbee and Parkinson are solid blockers and Allen offers a big frame in the red zone.
Regardless, McVay wants to see Ferguson get involved.
“I think it’ll vary. I don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves,” he said. “I think we want to be able to use our guys on a week-to-week basis. I’d like to be able to see Ferguson get involved a little bit as well, but I haven’t even put any eyes on the Titans yet. Number one, you want to be able to use all of your players, but it’s also predicated on what allows them to have successful outcomes or what we believe gives them the best chance for successful outcomes for our team. I think getting all those guys involved is going to be a thing that we want to try to do.”
The Rams didn’t draft Ferguson for this year alone. They expect him to be a long-term factor, especially after Higbee retires. He’s the future at the position for Los Angeles, even if that means taking a backseat to the veterans right now.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams’ Sean McVay wants to get Terrance Ferguson more involved
