The loss of Cooper Kupp for the season was a devastating blow to the Los Angeles Rams’ offense. A large amount of offensive production must be replaced, and several players will need to up their contributions. While guys like Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Josh Reynolds can all expect to see more on their plates, they aren’t the ones who will be needed the most.

The players who need to step up the most are the tight ends. Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett will need to do what’s been talked about endlessly the past two seasons, and become a consistent part of the offense. There’s been a lot of talk of their growth and progression, and the time for them to act on it is now.

This offseason, we broke down how tight end could be the most important position for the Rams in 2018, and that’s more true now than ever before. Sean McVay cut his teeth as a tight ends coach, and loved to incorporate Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis into his offense during his time as Washington’s offensive coordinator.

There was a ton of potential for the Rams’ offense to get even better this year if the tight ends could make a leap, as they were the league’s best offense last year with virtually no production from them. But so far this year they’ve been mostly quiet, and that will need to change now that Kupp is done for the year.

Fortunately for the Rams, both Higbee and Everett are starting to come on strong. Two weeks ago against the Saints, they both set season highs in receptions and yardage. This past Sunday against the Seahawks, they both caught touchdowns.

McVay has seemed to grow more trustful of his young tight ends in recent weeks, and that will need to continue. They’ll have a perfect opportunity to make an impact this week, when the Rams play their most important game of the season against the Chiefs. Kansas City has been very vulnerable to tight ends, giving up at least 74 yards to opposing tight ends in five of their 10 games.

In the coming weeks, opposing defenses will be keying in on Cooks and Woods, which will open up plenty of opportunities for others. If the Rams offense wants to keep humming without missing a beat, they’ll need more production from the tight ends. Higbee and Everett both have golden opportunities, and they’ll need to make the most of them.