Trey McBride is always going to play a lot, but Sunday he played even more than that. Jalen Brooks, now that Marvin Harrison Jr. is gone, is now going to play more often.
Both those things played out Sunday against the Rams.
McBride is the All-Pro tight end so you want him on the field, but against the Rams, McBride played 70 of 72 offensive snaps. That 97 percent was his season-high and tied the second-highest for his career. He hadn't played that much since the opener in New Orleans last year.
Brooks is in a much different spot. If MHJ had stayed, Brooks would still be mostly on kickoff returns. But now, Brooks played 38 snaps and 53 percent of the plays, the second straight week he's hit those targets and the first time he's done that in consecutive games since 2024 with the Cowboys.
(Apropos of nothing, Brooks was asked about the roughing flag he drew from Rams defensive back Josh Wallace, tacking 15 yards on to his huge 21-yard catch on the final drive. "I feel I got hit harder in the Hall of Fame game when I got rocked, honestly," Brooks said.)
With Jeremiyah Love out, Tyler Allgeier played the most snaps (40) he's had since Week 1. And Bam Knight, who had played only 12 offensive snaps the first five games, played 32, and likely would've had more if he had not been suffering from cramps.
Finally on offense, McBride isn't the only tight end getting work, in case anyone was unaware of the offense Mike LaFleur wants to run. Elijah Higgins played at least 30 snaps for the third time in four games, while Teagan Quitoriano was in for 30 snaps for a second straight game -- the most he's played in consecutive games since he did so in Houston in 2022.
Defensively, Josh Sweat continues to ramp up, setting season-highs in snaps (46) and percentage (79). That snap percentage was Sweat's highest since a game with the Eagles in 2023 and the fourth-highest in his career.
On the flip side, edge rusher Jordan Burch was in for career lows in snaps (16) and percentage (28). Nose tackle Roy Lopez also played a season-low in snaps with 22. Inside linebacker Cody Simon played 8 defensive snaps (and a key forced fumble) after posting just 10 the first five games.
Cornerback Max Melton was in for 78 percent of the 58 defensive snaps, jumping from 58 percent the week before. Denzel Burke was in for 79 percent, a high number but still a season-low. Cornerback Kalen King played a career-high 36 snaps.
