Rams Must Bench Veteran Playmaker vs. Eagles to Keep Playoff Run Going

The Los Angeles Rams are getting ready to square off against the Eagles on Sunday in the divisional round of the playoffs. Sean McVay & Co. pulled off an impressive win over the Vikings in the wild-card matchup behind a dominant defensive performance.

Against the Eagles, the Rams will need to take their game to another level. That likely has to happen on the offensive side of the ball.

One way to improve on that end of the field involves slightly tweaking the rotation to minimize the snap count of a starter. Veteran tight end Colby Parkinson started and played 33 offensive snaps against Minnesota and was one of the more disappointing performers on the Rams on Monday.

Parkinson finished with a miserable 33.9 pass-blocking grade and an overall 50.0 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus. Other tight ends on the team, Tyler Higbee, Hunter Long, and Davis Allen, all received better grades.

Parkinson signed a three-year, $22.5 million deal in the offseason after spending the first four seasons of his career with the Seahawks. He has been consistent in his production over the years and had another season on par with his standard, finishing with 30 catches, 294 yards, and one touchdown in 17 games. He received a 62.2 PFF grade for the season, good for the 37th-best tight end in the league.

Veteran tight end Higbee returned from his extended injury absence in Week 16 and was steadily increasing his role until suffering a chest injury against the Vikings. He had to leave the game early, but he is expected to be ready against Philadelphia. Now that Higbee is back and playing well, it behooves the Rams to give him as many snaps as he can handle while reducing Parkinson's workload.

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