The tight end can’t seem to stay off the injured list and is now entering his final year as a member of the Arizona Cardinals
Steve Keim, the general manager of the Arizona Cardinals, must be an extremely patient man. He has certainly exercised that patience in his dealings with Cardinals’ tight end Troy Niklas.
Niklas, Arizona’s 2014 second-round draft pick, has been about as reliable as a wet paper bag. His three NFL seasons have been ravaged by injuries. The fact that the Cards haven’t given up on him is a bit surprising.
The Notre Dame product actually came into the league injured. He missed the beginning of 2014’s offseason practices because of hernia surgery. He then suffered a broken hand in June of that year, when his hand somehow got caught in a jersey.
The bad luck in Niklas’ rookie year continued when he sprained his left ankle in week five, causing a three-game absence. His nightmare campaign mercifully came to an end in mid-November when he again injured the ankle, and was placed on injured reserve.
After offseason surgery for the ankle, the injury bug struck again in 2015. Niklas re-injured the ankle during a minicamp practice in June. The incident caused another surgery, but the 6’6″, 270 lb “paper tiger” did manage to get through the whole year.
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After playing well during the 2016 preseason, Niklas again was sidelined. In late September, he was again placed on injured reserve after suffering a severe wrist injury.
Even when healthy, obviously a rare occurrence, Niklas hasn’t exactly lit up the stat sheet. In 2014, he caught three passes for 38 yards in seven games. In his one and only full season as a pro, he caught just four balls for 33 yards, though two went for touchdowns. In three games last year, Niklas tallied one reception for zero yards.
In fairness, Niklas has been used primarily as a blocker in Bruce Arians’ offense. But just eight receptions in 26 career games is not close to acceptable for a second-round pick. Even in Arians’ tight end-unfriendly scheme, fellow tight ends Jermaine Gresham and the now-departed Darren Fells have produced to an extent.
2017 will be the fourth and final year of Niklas’ rookie contract. That’s contingent on his making the final roster obviously. Keim’s patience has to run out sometime.