7 Arizona Cardinals that must bounce-back in 2019

6 of 8

GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 03: Tight end Ricky Seals-Jones #86 of the Arizona Cardinals lines up during the NFL game against the Los Angeles Rams at the University of Phoenix Stadium on December 3, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. The Rams defeated the Cardinals 32-16. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Ricky Seals-Jones – TE

After the Cardinals added two veteran tight ends in Charles Clay and Maxx Williams and drafted Caleb Wilson, Ricky Seals-Jones has some real competition at the position. And that’s the way it should be; Seals-Jones is promising, but he’s a frustrating player that is still learning the tight end position.

After going undrafted in 2017, Seals-Jones surprised many when he caught 12 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns in his rookie year. Naturally, his ability to stretch the field with speed and a past as a wide receiver made him an exciting player to watch heading into 2018. But he failed to live up to his (limited) hype.

Seals-Jones backed up his rookie year with 34 receptions for 343 yards and a touchdown. Not bad numbers to the naked eye, but pretty bad when you consider his career 47.4% catch rate and 52.8 Pro Football Focus grade. To go along with his lowly catch rate, Seals-Jones hasn’t offered much as a blocker.

Tight ends are often called the safety valve of the offense. They are supposed to be consistent as both a pass catcher and a blocker. Seals-Jones has proved that he’s neither, which could mean the Cardinals pull the plug on the project as a whole.

Currently, I have both Clay and Williams as the sure-fire tight ends to make the roster, meaning Seals-Jones will be competing with Wilson and Darrell Daniels for the third spot. Though he was once a teammate of Kyler Murray, Seals-Jones will need to step it up to get a spot on an offense that tends not to favor tight ends that can’t block.

Home/Cardinals News