Trey McBrides’s importance to the Arizona Cardinals has never gone unnoticed, as he has served as the perfect security blanket to whoever is under center.
In the team’s Week 15 road game against the Houston Texans, where the team was down Marvin Harris Jr., McBride was the most targeted player in the game. The 26-year-old hauled in 12-of-13 targets for 132 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The first touchdown took place two minutes into the second quarter, when Brissett found McBride on a short two-yard completion. The second came with less than a minute left in the third quarter, where McBride caught a pass at the ten-yard line before taking it to the house.
It goes without saying how important the fourth-year tight end is to this offense, and the four-year, $76 million contract extension he received in April was well deserved.
However, we don’t even think the Cardinals realize how good McBride has been, as he found himself in waters that are seldom explored by tight ends.
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McBride ranks sixth in all of the league in receiving yards, a top ten that is filled by wide receivers, and headlined by Jaxon Smith-Njigba. As we approach the end of the regular season, McBride has 1,071 receiving yards on 140 catches. For context, the next closest tight ends are Travis Kelce and Kyle Pitts, who both have 797 receiving yards.
On top of that, McBride’s 140 receptions lead the entire league. He also has 10 receiving touchdowns on the year, which is third in the league, only behind Davante Adams (14) and Amon-Ra St. Brown (11).
We all know that Trey McBride is a top-three tight end in the league, but the case for him to be No. 1 is right in front of us, as he is straight-up dominant. Not only does he lead tight ends in key stats, but some of the league’s best receivers as well. He’s been doing so with inconsistent quarterback play throughout the season as well.
Matter of fact, next weekend will be a battle of the league’s top tight ends, as the Arizona Cardinals host the Atlanta Falcons at home. We’ve seen McBride break out, but it has also been a season to remember for Kyle Pitts, who is finally putting it together for the first time in five seasons.
With both teams long eliminated from playoff contention, it will be a matchup of carefree football.