Injury to Maxx Williams leaves Cardinals thin at tight end

The Arizona Cardinals will be woefully thin at the tight end position if the leg injury to Maxx Williams is as bad as it appeared.

All throughout the offseason, the Arizona Cardinals were highly criticized for assembling what appeared to be a severe lack of talent at the tight end position.

Many fans of the Cardinals believed that the squad was making a big mistake by handing veteran Maxx Williams the starting job. After all, the 27-year-old caught just eight passes in nine appearances last year for the team. Nevertheless, Arizona’s front office stood still, electing to roll with Williams in what could very well be a make-or-break year for general manager Steve Keim.

Through the first four and a half games of the 2021 schedule, Williams was justifying Keim’s faith in him with some solid play. The 6-foot-4, 252-pounder already doubled his reception total (16) from 2020, and he had also racked up 193 receiving yards. Williams managed to reach the end zone as well, scoring from 14 yards out during the Cards’ week-four victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

Unfortunately, disaster struck for Williams during last Sunday’s 17-10 triumph over the San Francisco 49ers. With 2:41 left in the first half, the former Baltimore Ravens draft pick took a hard shot to his right leg. Williams had to be carted off of the field, and the Cardinals now fear that the Minnesota native may have suffered a season-ending injury.

Arizona Cardinals will be depleted at tight end if Maxx Williams is done for the year

The loss of Williams would be a significant blow to the Arizona offense. The other tight ends on the roster (Darrell Daniels, Demetrius Harris, Ross Travis) are not qualified to run with the first string. Keim did sign 29-year-old Richard Rodgers to the practice squad on Tuesday, but another addition to the problem area would not be a bad idea.

One of the most intriguing possibilities for the gig is Larry Fitzgerald, the Cards’ 11-time Pro Bowl wide receiver who’s currently in “hiatus”. Of course, signing the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder as a replacement for Williams would require a position change for the 38-year-old Fitzgerald. If the Redbirds did manage to win a Super Bowl championship this coming February, it would be absolutely fantastic if the future Hall of Famer could be a part of it.

With the November 2 trade deadline just three weeks away, there are several tight ends that Keim could certainly kick the tires on. Included among that group are players like Zach Ertz, O.J. Howard, Jack Doyle, and Hayden Hurst. One free agent who may be worth a look is Tyler Eifert, a 31-year-old who appeared in 31 contests over the past two seasons for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals.

The news regarding Williams will be revealed any minute now, and the Cardinals are expecting the worst. With that in mind, a noteworthy acquisition at the tight end spot should be the number-one task on Keim’s priority list.