Hunter Henry is probably the biggest name free agent tight end, while Tyler Higbee is marked for a big increase in value with the Rams' other main tight end headed elsewhere. But that departing tight end should be also in line for a big jump in production in 2021.
A story in The Athletic indicates Everett, a former 2nd-round pick who's just 26 years old, should be viewed, and signed, as a starter by teams this offseason. When given a chance in Los Angeles the past four seasons, he's produced like one.
Over the past four seasons, Everett has split opportunities with Higbee, who's missed only 2 games in that span. But he's seen a respectable workload -- which I'll define here as 5-plus targets -- exactly 16 times in those seasons. In those 16 games he's totaled 69 catches for 658 yards, with 3 touchdowns and a 2-point conversion. If he put up those numbers over the course of a season, he'd be a top-10 fantasy tight end.
| GERALD EVERETT WITH 5-PLUS TARGETS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Opp | Tgt | No | Yds | TD |
| 2017 | S.F. | 6 | 3 | 16 | 0 |
| 2018 | at Chi. | 7 | 4 | 29 | 0 |
| 2018 | Phi. | 7 | 5 | 46 | 0 |
| 2018 | at Ariz. | 6 | 5 | 28 | 0 |
| 2018 | at N.O. | 5 | 3 | 48 | 0.3 |
| 2019 | at Pitt. | 12 | 8 | 68 | 0 |
| 2019 | at Sea. | 11 | 7 | 136 | 0 |
| 2019 | at Atl. | 10 | 4 | 50 | 1 |
| 2019 | T.B. | 8 | 5 | 44 | 1 |
| 2019 | S.F. | 5 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
| 2020 | at Mia. | 9 | 5 | 32 | 0 |
| 2020 | at Ariz. | 7 | 6 | 44 | 0 |
| 2020 | Ariz. | 7 | 2 | 25 | 0 |
| 2020 | Chi. | 5 | 4 | 28 | 1 |
| 2020 | at T.B. | 5 | 4 | 27 | 0 |
| 2020 | NYJ | 5 | 2 | 28 | 0 |
| Total | 115 | 69 | 658 | 3.3 | |
In fantasy drafts next year, there's no question that Higbee will be the more sought-after player. He blew up down the stretch in 2019, when Everett missed 3 games. The Rams will work in a second tight end, but reasonable to think Higbee will have more of a featured role.
But Everett, depending on where he ends up, looks like a potential sleeper -- a guy who could also produce at a top-10 or top-15 level as a starter and lead guy at the position. Will be very interesting to see where he ends up.
--Andy Richardson