Tight ends remain invisible in Arizona Cardinals’ offense
By Jim Koch
Arizona Cardinals’ head coach and playcaller Bruce Arians has little use for the tight end as a pass-catcher in his offense
Being an Arizona Cardinals’ tight end is a boring job. Sure, they get to do the dirty work, the blocking to be specific. But getting head coach Bruce Arians to draw up plays for them as pass-receivers is another story.
The exact reason for tight ends being left out of the Cards’ offense is not known. Perhaps one of them got mouthy to Arians back in the day. Or maybe one of them ran a wrong route, didn’t laugh at one of his jokes or parked their vehicle in the coach’s assigned space.
The importance of the position seemed to change back in March. Before he could hit the free agent market, Cardinals’ starting tight end Jermaine Gresham was made a rich man by the franchise’s front office. The former Cincinnati Bengal cashed in, signing a four-year, $28 million contract with $13 million guaranteed.
Gresham being handed that amount of money had to mean his role with the club was going to increase. The 29-year old had proven he could catch the ball during his five seasons with Cincy. Would Arizona fans get to see that side of the passionate veteran’s skill-set more often, now that Gresham was being paid so handsomely?
The answer to that question is a resounding no. Through five games this year, Gresham has hauled in just 12 passes for 90 yards. By comparison, the New England Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski can achieve those kind of numbers in one outing.
Not that anyone expected Gresham to produce “Gronk-type” statistics. That’s an impossibility for most NFL tight ends. But averaging just 18 yards a contest is a ridiculously low number for a player in “Gresh’s” salary range.
With the way the Cards’ offense has been puttering along so far, perhaps adding a new wrinkle or two wouldn’t be a bad idea. Gresham is blessed with a pair of good hands that Arians obviously could be utilizing more. The backup tight ends, Troy Niklas and Ifeanyi Momah, are also fine pass-receivers who could possibly contribute if given an opportunity.
As it stands right now, Gresham may be the most overpaid tight end in football. Surely, he’d love to be more involved in the Cardinals’ attempts to put points on the board. It’s up to the play-caller to allow Gresham to do just that.