Over the past six games, Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has made quite the name for himself. So much that, when the Redbirds released Zach Ertz, most of us shrugged our shoulders and said, “Good luck!”
While running back James Conner got and deserved much of the attention today with his epic performance that fueled the running game in today’s win, McBride deserves just as much credit for his ability to routinely provide a reliable target for quarterback Kyler Murray. The second-year tight end had eight catches today for 89 yards and a touchdown, good for 11.1 yards per reception.
It’s also worth mentioning that McBride had those eight catches on nine targets, and the only target he didn’t catch was initially ruled a touchdown before the officials overturned the play. Still, it brings McBride’s reception total to 56 this season for 613 yards and two touchdowns, and he still has four more games to add to that total.
3 major takeaways in Arizona Cardinals win over Steelers
1 - Josh Woods steps up big
It’s about time to owe Josh Woods an apology, and if he keeps producing the way he did in Sunday’s win, he’s definitely getting one. Every play, it seemed like Woods found himself around it in some capacity. He ended up finishing the game with 11 combined tackles (five solo), and a tackle for loss.
When Kyzir White went down two weeks ago, someone in the linebacking unit needed to step up, and it looks like Woods is taking the mantle early on. He has four more games to show he can be consistent, and perhaps we will see the 27-year-old take an even bigger step in the desert next season should he play well enough to warrant a second contract.
In a worst-case scenario, we know Woods is one of the league’s better special teams players, so he can definitely step up in more ways than one even if he doesn’t become a full-time starter. Still though, Woods increased his stock today, and that should serve as a major confidence booster.