Solid group of tight ends should help Rams’ passing game

Lance Kendricks streaked down the middle of the field Tuesday and found a seam in the Rams’ first-team defense.

The veteran tight end looked up just as rookie quarterback Jared Goff delivered a perfectly thrown pass that Kendricks hauled in for a long gain.

“Got to keep that going,” Kendricks said after the workout.

That kind of play, among others, was missing last season when the Rams ranked last in the NFL in offense and passing offense.

The Rams selected Goff with the No. 1 pick in the draft but did not trade or venture into the free-agent market for an impact receiver during the off-season. They drafted Pharoh Cooper and Michael Thomas in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

So improvement in the passing game, regardless of whether Case Keenum or Goff starts at quarterback, could be aided by a group of tight ends that has stood out during training camp and the first two exhibitions.

The group will get its toughest test Saturday when then Rams play the Denver Broncos in an exhibition at Invesco Field.

Kendricks and Cory Harkey, who often has played as more of an H-back, are veterans in a tight end group that includes fourth-round draft pick Tyler Higbee, sixth-round pick Temarrick Hemingway and second-year pro Justice Cunningham.

Higbee caught five passes in the exhibition opener against the Dallas Cowboys, and tight ends have accounted for 11 receptions in two games for an offense that has converted all seven of its opportunities from inside the 20-yard line.

“With the addition of the two rookies, we really like the group right now,” Coach Jeff Fisher said.

Tight ends figure to benefit from the appointment of Rob Boras as the full-time offensive coordinator. Boras coached Rams tight ends for four seasons before succeeding the fired Frank Cignetti with four games remaining last season.

John Lilly, who coached at Florida State and Georgia, replaced Boras as tight ends coach.

“He knows us like the back of his hand,” Kendricks said of Boras. “It’s good to have somebody like that to be able to kind of run the show.

“He knows what we’re good at. He knows our strength and he plays to that.”

Last season, tight end Jared Cook was the Rams’ second-leading receiver, catching 39 passes for 481 yards but no touchdowns. The Rams released him before the season along with defensive veterans Chris Long and James Laurinaitis to clear salary-cap space.

So Kendricks, a sixth-year pro from Wisconsin, is now the most experienced tight end on the roster.

The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Kendricks caught 25 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in 2015. He had a career-best 42 receptions in 2012, a career-best five touchdowns in 2014.

The 6-4, 259-pound Harkey is mainly utilized as a blocker. The former UCLA player caught only five passes last season.

Higbee has been the minor sensation of training camp. At 6-feet-6 and 250 pounds, he has impressed as a receiver and improving blocker. Star running back Todd Gurley said he calls Higbee “Little Baby Gronk” as a comparison to New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski.

Higbee played in nine games last season at Western Kentucky before he suffered a knee injury. He caught 38 passes, eight for touchdowns. His draft stock might have fallen after he was arrested in April on suspicion of second-degree assault, evading police and public intoxication after an altercation with a man outside a bar in Bowling Green, Ky. He pleaded not guilty.

Higbee caught five passes in the exhibition opener against the Cowboys but was sidelined against the Kansas City Chiefs because of what Fisher described as flu-like symptoms.

He returned this week and will play against the Broncos.

Despite his fast start, Higbee said it was not easy, especially blocking NFL linemen.

“You’re playing the best of the best,” he said. “I’ve had my rookie problems, but I’m working on those and trying to get better.”

The 6-5, 244-pound Hemingway, from South Carolina State, took advantage of Higbee’s absence last week and capitalized on increased first-team snaps in practice and the exhibition. He made several impressive catches in workouts and then caught a 26-yard pass from Goff against the Chiefs.

Cunningham, 6-3 and 258 pounds, has two receptions during the exhibition season.

Kendricks anticipates a productive season from the group.

“The good thing about tight ends is we’re unselfish,” Kendricks said. “We’ll do anything we’re asked and we’re willing to help anyone out -- and then we’ll go out and make plays.

“We have the guys that can do that.”

Quick hits

Goff took snaps with first-team offense and completed several impressive passes. … Offensive lineman Rob Havenstein (foot) went through a few warmup drills and did work on the side with trainers. … The Rams practice Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. Quarterbacks and tight ends will be signing autographs. The Rams final open practice is Thursday.