Following a quiet begin to his Los Angeles Rams tenure, tight finish Colby Parkinson broke out over the second half of final season. Parkinson’s breakout was a welcome sight for Rams followers, but can he keep his sturdy manufacturing transferring into the 2026 marketing campaign?
The cause Parkinson can keep his manufacturing is that he’s obtained extra alternatives in Hollywood within the passing recreation than he did in his first 4 years in Seattle.
Advertisement
In his closing two years with the Seahawks, he was focused 68 instances, in comparison with 105 instances with L.A. Parkinson had one of the best season of his profession in 2025 after profiting from Tyler Higbee being out of the lineup, which closely contributed to his breakout.
From Weeks 12-17, when Higbee was sidelined, he had 24 receptions on 32 targets for 249 yards and 4 touchdowns. That compares to his 15 receptions on 17 targets for 123 yards and two receiving touchdowns, with Higbee primarily within the lineup from Weeks 1-11.
Parkinson went from being largely forgotten within the Rams offense to changing into considered one of Matthew Stafford’s go-to guys outdoors of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Much of that was attributed to his elite manufacturing within the pink zone.
According to Rams.com staff writer Wyatt Miller, Parkinson ranked first team-wide in pink zone catches (15) and yards (118), and trailed Adams in touchdowns (six) and targets (22) contained in the 20. Adams was a recognized menace within the pink zone final season, but that helped the Rams’ TE fly below the radar so usually. He was moreover a serious menace in yards after the catch per reception, rating fourth-highest amongst tight ends in that division.
His manufacturing even carried over into the postseason. Despite Higbee returning within the common season finale in opposition to Arizona, Parkinson began all three video games within the playoffs, ending with eight receptions on 14 targets for 152 yards and a landing. At the identical time, Higbee had 4 receptions on six targets for 84 yards and no scores. Parkinson’s game-winning landing in opposition to the Panthers on Wild Card Weekend was the spotlight of a wonderful end to his second season in Los Angeles.
Parkinson has obtained recognition from Pro Football Focus for his late-season efforts, ranking 15th in the outlet’s tight end rankings forward of the season. Here’s what PFF’s Dalton Wasserman and Max Chadwick stated in regards to the veteran, whom they positioned 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 will not be going to rework into a high tight finish like George Kittle or Trey McBride, but his sturdy second half to the season, together with the playoffs, reveals how precious he’s to the Rams’ offense. His promising end to the 12 months signifies that he can construct on it transferring into the 2026 season as L.A. goals for an additional deep playoff run.