Rams TE Tyler Higbee ready to return after grueling rehab

LOS ANGELES — Tyler Higbee considers his ability to be present, his mind only on the moment of time in which he finds himself, to be a gift.

It’s helped the longtime Rams tight end approach every game, from the preseason to two Super Bowls, as the most important game, if only because it’s the next one. And it helped him, over the past 11 months, recover from two surgeries to repair four torn ligaments, even as he relived the same mundane, isolating day.

But as he prepares to play in his first game this season as the Rams (8-6) travel to play the New York Jets (4-10), Higbee allows that his emotions might be running a bit higher than even his lofty standards.

“Maybe a little bit higher than a normal game day,” Higbee said. “These guys might have to throw some water on me to take the fire out of my hair. But we’re excited.”

If anyone would ask for water on his head in the sub-freezing conditions expected Sunday in New Jersey, it would be Higbee. Since being drafted by the Rams eight years ago, he’s been one of the organization’s galvanizers, an endless source of energy under the brightest lights or in the dullest December practices.

But after the Rams’ loss to the Detroit Lions in the wild card round of last year’s postseason, Higbee sat on the team plane. A low hit had torn the ACL, MCL and meniscus in his knee.

“I remember coming off the field after that Detroit game last year and obviously it was weighing on him. The heaviness of knowing what the path was ahead of him,” receiver Cooper Kupp said.

And yet, the Rams were grounded at a Detroit airport, their plane experiencing mechanical issues that delayed their takeoff into the next morning.

“Our season was over. Already, you feel pretty [expletive] about that. On top of that, having a knee that’s just …” Here, Higbee held his hands out, opening and closing them, saying, “… doosh, throbbing, you know? … Luckily, I didn’t go to sleep so I wasn’t one of those guys thinking we had an hour left and he hadn’t even taken off yet.”

Upon return to Los Angeles, Higbee faced two surgeries. The first to repair his damaged knee, the second for a previous labrum injury. He had to wait until he was off crutches, about seven weeks, to have his shoulder operated upon.

“That is a daunting thing. We’re talking about staggering those things and to get through them … he took every step of that and just attacked it,” Kupp said. “His offseason was brutal but his attitude and the attitude he took into every single day of rehab, it was incredible to watch.”

A universal truth in football is that the rehab process is an isolating one. But that sense is heightened during the offseason, when most players don’t have a reason to come to the team facility on a regular basis.

But Higbee had to be there constantly, even as the Rams began packing up their facility at Cal Lutheran to move to Woodland Hills. His one constant in that time was the presence of VP of sports medicine Reggie Scott, director of rehabilitation Byron Cunningham and the rest of the Rams’ training staff.

“It’s been a long journey; some days aren’t always the best but kept showing up and going to work. Our training staff is the best in the business, from my understanding. Obviously the only ones I’ve been around, but hearing from other people in other places, they’re the best in the business,” Higbee said. “To be able to come in here and work every day even when not everyone was showing up, when we were in Cal Lu and packing stuff up and moving and stuff was Saran-wrapped in boxes or pulling stuff out of boxes to get our rehab in. Sometimes it was just me and Byron at the facility and nobody else was here. Vacations, whatever days off, we were in here working and big credit to those guys, helping me get back. The work has got us here.”

Still, Higbee found ways to stay connected with the team. He traveled to games and was often seen in the locker room after games, talking with younger players or debriefing with veteran right tackle Rob Havenstein.

He wanted to help the team win, regardless of whether he was on the field or not. And his teammates wanted that help, which helped ease the sense of being a “castaway,” as Higbee put it.

“He loves being a part of a group and a team. He’s one of those guys that you love having in the locker room. He’s around as much as he possibly can be when he’s not in there working out or doing things for his health and trying to get back to 100 percent,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “He’s been a pro the entire time, which is not surprising when you know him, but it is a great example for guys that are younger or whatever that are going through things like that. If you want to be like somebody through that process, he’d be the one.”

Higbee was grateful to head coach Sean McVay for allowing him to travel during his rehab process. Sometimes, he was unsure exactly what to do on the sidelines. He wanted to give advice, but also didn’t want to feel like he was in his teammates’ way as they did their jobs.

“These are my brothers,” Higbee said. “I understand the role, being around here for a minute, being captain last year, I understand my role had a leadership role to that. So just trying to be there for those guys. I’ve played a lot of ball in my career, been around a lot, had some winning seasons, some losing seasons, things like that. Just trying to do what I can to pass on the knowledge I can and help those guys so we can go win football games.”

Now as he prepares to play again, Higbee knows he’ll need some game action to catch up. By December, most NFL teams practice in pads only once a week, so these recent workouts, while cathartic, haven’t pushed his body to its limits.

But he expects his experience to help him overcome any rust as he helps the Rams make their playoff push.

“I love the guy and I couldn’t be more impressed with just watching how he handles everything,” McVay said. “You watch him as a husband, as a father, as a leader of this team, and then just navigate whatever comes his way with the same mindset, mentality, and the right spirit. He’s a stud. He’s a great example for all of us.”