Eric Williams
NFC West Writer
Trey McBride is finally realizing his vast potential on the field.
Selected in the second-round last year by the Arizona Cardinals, the Colorado State product had an up-and-down rookie season as he learned how to be an effective player in a more competitive environment than the Mountain West conference.
This season, McBride has developed into a reliable seam stretcher for the Cardinals. Over the past four games, he has 24 catches for 277 yards and a score on 34 targets.
In Arizona’s win over the Atlanta Falcons last week, Kyler Murray’s first game back from ACL knee surgery, McBride had a breakout performance. He finished with a game-high eight receptions for 131 receiving yards on nine targets.
Those stats included a 33-yard reception on the final drive of the game that set up the winning 23-yard field goal by Matt Prater. According to Pro Football Focus, McBride was the highest graded player in the league in Week 10, with a 96.2 grade.
He also became the first Cardinals tight end since Robert Awalt in 1989 to eclipse the 100-yard receiving mark, 34 years to the day.
“I think it’s just consistency,” McBride said about his recent upswing. “I try to come in and do the right thing every day to be the best player that I can be. I try to help this team in every way that I can.
“I think the coaches are seeing that. I think they are giving me some opportunities, and I’m very thankful for that.”
McBride still has some work to do to join the elite tight ends in the NFL such as Travis Kelce, George Kittle, Mark Andrews and T.J. Hockenson. But McBride is putting up respectable numbers in his second season, with 36 receptions for 418 yards and a touchdown on 49 targets. And if McBride develops into Murray’s security blanket, those numbers should just continue to improve.
His ascending production should not be a surprise. In 2021, he finished with the single-season records for the most…
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Publish date : 2023-11-16 20:38:34
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