The Arizona Cardinals Need to Involve the Tight End Position
By Jeremy Meek
The Arizona Cardinals can make the offense more effective by fully utilizing the tight end position
The tight end position is one that has seen its importance rise in the NFL over the past several years. No longer are they blockers who can catch. They’re now legitimate weapons for offenses around the league. Guys like Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Gates, and Tony Gonzalez evolved the position, and the league is loaded with athletic freaks who are too big for cornerbacks and are too fast for linebackers and safeties.
The Arizona Cardinals are one team that remains behind the curve with the tight end spot. They use it primarily as a blocker, and much less so as a receiver. It’s something they need to correct.
The last time a Cardinals tight end had more than 40 receptions in a season was in 2012, when Rob Housler had 45. It’s been 14 years since a tight end had more than 50 grabs. This spans multiple head coaches and systems.
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Currently, the Cardinals employ Jermaine Gresham as their primary tight end. In five years with the Cincinnati Bengals, he averaged 56 catches and 544 yards per season. In the two years he’s been in Arizona, he’s had a total of 55 receptions and 614 yards.
The Cardinals have a lot of questions surrounding the wide receivers. Larry Fitzgerald is getting older, Jaron and John Brown have health concerns, and JJ Nelson is too small to contribute full-time. Having a tight end who can contribute in the passing game not only helps the offense in general, but greatly benefits Carson Palmer.
Gresham is joined by Troy Niklas at his position. Injuries have hampered him greatly, and he has just eight catches in three years. Still, he was highly thought of out of college, and was drafted in the second round in 2014.
Another intriguing option is rookie Ricky Seals-Jones. The former five-star recruiting prospect failed to live up to expectations at Texas A&M, and is moving from receiver to tight end. However, the undrafted free agent will be given a chance to compete.
The Cardinals, like every other NFL team, can always use more weapons. If they want to make a final run with Palmer and Fitzgerald, they’ll need to be more effective with the ball. A good tight end can make the difference, if they will use him.