Following a quiet start to his Los Angeles Rams tenure, tight end Colby Parkinson broke out over the second half of last season. Parkinson’s breakout was a welcome sight for Rams fans, yet can he maintain his strong production moving into the 2026 campaign?
The reason Parkinson can maintain his production is that he’s received more opportunities in Hollywood in the passing game than he did in his first four years in Seattle.
In his final two years with the Seahawks, he was targeted 68 times, compared
to 105 times with L.A. Parkinson had the best season of his career in 2025 after taking advantage of Tyler Higbee being out of the lineup, which heavily contributed to his breakout.
From Weeks 12-17, when Higbee was sidelined, he had 24 receptions on 32 targets for 249 yards and four touchdowns. That compares to his 15 receptions on 17 targets for 123 yards and two receiving touchdowns, with Higbee mainly in the lineup from Weeks 1-11.
Parkinson went from being largely forgotten in the Rams offense to becoming one of Matthew Stafford’s go-to guys outside of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Much of that was attributed to his elite production in the red zone.
According to Rams.com staff writer Wyatt Miller, Parkinson ranked first team-wide in red zone catches (15) and yards (118), and trailed Adams in touchdowns (six) and targets (22) inside the 20. Adams was a known threat in the red zone last season, yet that helped the Rams’ TE fly under the radar so often. He was additionally a major threat in yards after the catch per reception, ranking fourth-highest among tight ends in that department.
His production even carried over into the postseason. Despite Higbee returning in the regular season finale against Arizona, Parkinson started all three games in the playoffs, finishing with eight receptions on 14 targets for 152 yards and a touchdown. At the same time, Higbee had four receptions on six targets for 84 yards and no scores. Parkinson’s game-winning touchdown against the Panthers on Wild Card Weekend was the highlight of an excellent finish to his second season in Los Angeles.
Parkinson has received recognition from Pro Football Focus for his late-season efforts, ranking 15th in the outlet’s tight end rankings ahead of the season. Here’s what PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick said about the veteran, whom they placed between the Ravens’ Mark Andrews and Seahawks’ AJ Barner:
“After a ho-hum first five seasons, Parkinson enjoyed the best season of his career in 2025. His 77.2 PFF receiving grade placed ninth among all tight ends, while his eight touchdown catches tied for third. Parkinson was a weapon after the catch, averaging 6.4 yards after the catch per reception (sixth). His 30 positively-graded plays as a run-blocker were sixth at the position as well.”
Parkinson is not going to transform into a top tight end like George Kittle or Trey McBride, yet his strong second half to the season, including the playoffs, shows how valuable he is to the Rams’ offense. His promising finish to the year indicates that he can build on it moving into the 2026 season as L.A. aims for another deep playoff run.
