Rams' Tyler Higbee Diagnosed with Sprained MCL Injury; Status for 2022 Super Bowl TBD

Los Angeles Rams tight end Tyler Higbee suffered a sprained MCL in a 20-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game on Sunday, and his status for the Super Bowl is to be determined, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Higbee exited the NFC Championship Game with the knee ailment in the first quarter and did not return.

Higbee has been one of the most durable tight ends in the NFL since the Rams selected him in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, appearing in at least 15 games in each of his six seasons.

While the 29-year-old was rather unimpressive during his first three seasons, he has been a significant part of head coach Sean McVay's offense from 2019 to 2021. During the 2021 regular season, he caught 61 passes for 560 yards and five touchdowns. He has added nine catches for 115 yards in L.A.'s three postseason games thus far.

The Rams are thin at tight end, and if Higbee is unavailable for the Super Bowl, it'll be a significant loss. Backup tight end Kendall Blanton appeared in just 11 games this season, catching four passes for 37 yards. However, he caught five passes for 57 yards on five targets while filling in for Higbee in the NFC Championship Game.

L.A. could also turn to 2020 fourth-round pick Brycen Hopkins, who caught just one pass for nine yards in five games this season.

Instead of turning to Blanton or Hopkins, quarterback Matthew Stafford could look to get more production out of receivers Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell and Ben Skowronek, aside from Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr.