WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Just past the midway point of the second quarter last Thursday against the 49ers, Rams rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson took the field for his first offensive snaps since Week 2 against the Titans.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford glanced his way before targeting a different receiver. The next play, Stafford found Ferguson one-on-one in man coverage, and the former Oregon standout went over the top of his defender to haul in a 21-yard catch.
"He's a stud," head coach Sean McVay said last Friday. "He went up over the top of somebody in a man coverage and made a great contested catch for 20-plus yards. We have to be able to figure out a way to be able to get him going."
"Super excited, obviously, to get out there and be able to make an impact for the team, help the team as much as I could," Ferguson said Wednesday. "It was man coverage. Kind of plan for man coverage in that that scenario, seeing a lot of that same exact person, how they're playing, try to get an edge, got an edge, and keep it vertical. And Matthew gave me a great ball. Go make opportunity. Super blessed. Just always pray about it working, the work in the dark and on those type of things, make those type of plays. So just happy to be out there."
Ferguson being active and getting snaps on offense came with Tyler Higbee inactive due to a hip injury, following a similar script to Week 2, when the Rams' other most experienced tight end, Colby Parkinson, was inactive due to a shoulder injury.
McVay attributed the circumstances surrounding Ferguson getting just four total offensive snaps overall to the 49ers controlling time of possession (nearly 40 minutes), which somewhat limited the opportunities for the offense overall. However, McVay said Ferguson did get in on some of the third down known passing situations.
Any involvement on offense to this point has been welcomed by Ferguson after the frustration of missing a chunk of training camp and the preseason due to a groin injury.
"It definitely is (frustrating)," Ferguson said. "Anytime you're not out there with the team, especially being a new guy trying to learn the offense, get your feet underneath you and start to become the player you want to be and you were in college, and you felt comfortable, and you know the plays and you know the speed of the game, so having that setback definitely doesn't feel good. No one wants to be off on the sideline watching... But honestly, I take it as something that's gonna make me stronger in the long run. Having something like that right off the bat, I always think God gives trials, how small, how big they are, to people, for them to make the most of their opportunity. And so for me, just taking it as is, and each day trying to get better was the biggest thing through that time."
When Ferguson did return to full health and made his Rams and NFL Debut in the preseason finale, he caught a ball for an explosive gain on a route similar to the one he ran on his 21-yard catch against the 49ers last week.
"It's funny, not really, but as soon as I got here, they obviously had seen something," Ferguson said. "Coach McVay and the staff trusted me to run that route a couple times now, obviously in the preseason and then there. I think it's something that fits into my skill set and I can make a play on, and I feel comfortable running the route. In college, didn't do it too much, but it's something I definitely think they've seen, obviously, and trust me to go make that play."
Up until that moment on Thursday Night Football, Ferguson's biggest highlight in his rookie season was chasing down and tackling a Titans defender who was on his way to returning a blocked extra point for a two-point play that week.
As the Rams prepare to face the Ravens in Baltimore this Sunday, Higbee (hip) was a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, and Parkinson is in concussion protocol but expected to be available, so as of Wednesday it remains to be seen if Los Angeles will revert to the same pattern as previous weeks, or continue to find ways to get Ferguson involved on Sunday against the Ravens.
Ferguson will be ready if his number is called.
"He's going to be a really good player for us, I believe," McVay said. "I thought he did an excellent job with the opportunity that he had last (Thursday) night."
