Tight end has never really been much of a thing for the Cardinals since the franchise moved to Arizona in 1988.
Trey McBride has changed that.
Before Big Play Trey, a tight end had only led the Cardinals in receptions one season during their Arizona era, a 2002 year where the 44 receptions of Freddie Jones (for a mere 358 yards) led the team.
Then McBride did it the last two seasons for the Cardinals. He had 111 receptions for 1,146 yards in 2024, earning a four-year contract extension that (for a brief time) was the biggest contract for a tight end in the league.
"Consistency is big for me," McBride said. "The great ones do it all the time. It's no secret anymore what (the coaches) are going to do – they are going to get me the ball. Now I have to continue to make plays when it comes to me … and elevate my teammates around me. Defenses know what I'm going to do. I have to continue to be me."
The question: How much can the Cardinals passing offense elevate if McBride is that top pass catcher? The Cardinals drafted Marvin Harrison Jr. fourth overall, and they would love more from Michael Wilson and others. For the air game to transform, can the pecking order remain the same?
Tight ends usually don't lead their teams in catches. Dating back 10 seasons – 320 total offenses – tight ends have led their teams in receptions 52 times. Of those 52 times, 20 of those teams have made the playoffs, and nine times a team has reached the Super Bowl.
Travis Kelce skews the numbers somewhat, having led the Chiefs nine times in catches and turning that into eight playoff appearances and five Super Bowls. Zach Ertz, Mark Andrews and George Kittle have helped that postseason total.
Therein lies the reality. An offense can be plenty successful with a tight end as top receiver, if the tight end is elite.
McBride, for instance.
"What makes Trey so dynamic is what he does when the ball is in his hands," Wilson said. "He gains a lot of his yards in yards after catch. Whatever makes you an efficient passing offense – and I don't know what that number is – in terms of total receiving yards, if you can reach that number (as a team) it doesn't matter where it comes from."
Last season, McBride had the most targets with 147. Harrison had 116 (with 62 receptions), Wilson had 71 (47), running back James Conner 55 (47) and Greg Dortch 50 (37).
"Maybe I have 10 catches one game and the next game I have two catches and Marvin has 10 catches," McBride said. "Whatever it may be. Kyler (Murray) is going to get the ball to the right people, he's going to go through his progression; to me, Mike, Marvin, Dortch, and whoever it is I am confident in all these guys."
The Cardinals want to run the ball, enough so that a major increase in passing attempts seems unlikely. With McBride's production and Harrison's potential, Wilson doesn't see the target distribution changing much.
"Receivers are always a position you will point at, because to the untrained eye I think it's that and the quarterback that's the easiest to critique," Wilson said. "If you see a guy covered and you're like, 'I just saw Tyreek Hill burn someone for 70 yards, why can't our guys do that?'
"I will say, in terms of producing more in our room, I think something we can all do a better job of is yards after catch. The targets are going to be what they are. When we do touch the ball, we have to come alive more. That's what will take the offense to the next level."
Coach Jonathan Gannon, not surprisingly, doesn't delve too far into passing game specifics. He wants the unit to be efficient. His first thought is being able to find flexibility every week, since every game plays out differently.
Perhaps Harrison breaks out to be the star that many expect. McBride's talent won't wane, but there is always a chance his stats could shrink.
The Cardinals just want to translate it into wins. That can happen with a tight end at the top of the leaderboard, but it can work out otherwise as well.
"They can't cover us all," McBride said.
