Cardinals TE Zach Ertz has received full medical clearance to return from last November's torn ACL and MCL. That should put him on track to play Week 1. Ertz was sitting third among TEs in PPR points through Week 9 last season. We'll see how the 32-year-old bounces back from that knee injury -- and how Arizona plans on divvying snaps between Ertz and TE Trey McBride. For now, consider Ertz just a TE3 target in best-ball drafts.
The Cardinals will be signing TE Geoff Swaim, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Swaim -- who will turn 30 on Sept. 16 -- spent the past three years in Tennessee, after one with Jacksonville and four in Dallas. He caught just 12 passes last season, despite leading Titans TEs in playing time. Swaim caught a career-high 31 balls the year before and has reached double digits in just four of eight seasons. His arrival in Arizona could just mean early insurance against Zach Ertz's ACL return -- or it could signal doubt about Ertz's status. Either way, we're not moving Trey McBride down our TE rankings for this signing.
There wasn't much positive to take away from Cardinals TE Trey McBride's 2022 rookie season. He totaled only three receptions behind a healthy Zach Ertz over the first nine weeks of the season. Then he ranked just 19th among TEs in PPR points over the final seven games, without Ertz. McBride finished 42nd in Pro Football Focus' receiving grades and 40th in yards per route run among 43 qualifying TEs for the season. Ouch. But we know that rookie TEs rarely produce big numbers. And McBride was an intriguing prospect in last year's class, coming off a 1,121-yard season at Colorado State. He finds plenty of opportunity in 2023 with WR DeAndre Hopkins gone and a 32-year-old Ertz coming off a serious knee injury. At an 18th-round ADP, McBride is at least worth taking some shots on in best-ball drafts.
The Cardinals "intend on using a lot of two-TE sets this season," according to Jess Root of Cards Wire. That would mean significant time together on the field for second-year TE Trey McBride and TE Zach Ertz, once the vet's ready following his ACL recovery. But it would also potentially challenge the playing time for Arizona WRs not named Marquise Brown. The Cardinals already tied for ninth in the league in most "12 personnel" snaps (two TEs) last season. So we might not actually see an escalation this year. But we'll be watching the camp and preseason tendencies for the fantasy outlooks on WRs Rondale Moore, Greg Dortch and Michael Wilson. McBride and Ertz are both going late enough in best ball drafts to carry some upside, though we're not specifically targeting either player. See where all these Cardinals land in our PPR rankings.
The Cardinals named Drew Petzing their new OC. The 35-year-old has spent the past 9 seasons working under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota and then Cleveland, with titles ranging from assistant WRs coach to TEs coach to QBs coach this past year. Petzing has no experience calling plays at any level. It's a rather bold hire by new Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon. We'll see what we can learn about Petzing over the next 6+ months.
The Cardinals named Jonathan Gannon their new HC. The 39-year-old has been in the NFL since 2007, working his way from Falcons defensive quality control coach to Eagles defensive coordinator for the past 2 seasons. Philadelphia finished 2nd in yards allowed and 8th in points allowed last year. We'll see how Gannon fills out the offensive side of his staff.
The Cardinals have already ruled WR DeAndre Hopkins (knee) out for this week. Without Hopkins last Sunday, TE Trey McBride and WR Greg Dortch tied for the lead with 25% target share apiece. WR Marquise Brown checked in 1 target behind them. Week 18, however, will find a much tougher defense in San Francisco. Check our Week 18 fantasy football rankings to see where everyone has landed.
Cardinals TE Trey McBride racked up 7 catches for 78 yards and the team's only TD in Sunday's narrow loss to the Falcons. He tied WR Greg Dortch for the team target lead (10), with QB David Blough making his 1st start -- Arizona's 4th different starting QB this year. The rookie TE topped his previous highs by 3 receptions and 23 yards, finding the end zone for the 1st time as a pro. McBride will be an interesting fantasy prospect for 2023. Veteran TE Zach Ertz has 1 year left on his contract, but he also carries a $12 million salary vs. $4 million in dead cap space if the team releases him. We'll see what the Cards do this offseason and where McBride settles in early best-ball drafts.
Cardinals WR Greg Dortch (thumb) is not expected to play Sunday against the Chargers, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. That will leave Arizona without its top 2 slot WRs. That leaves target opportunity for TE Trey McBride.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is done for the season with the knee injury that knocked him out of Sunday's game. That makes room for rookie Trey McBride to lead the position in Arizona the rest of the way. Ertz's target shares have been variable since WR DeAndre Hopkins returned, so don't consider McBride a high-level fantasy option. But he's a talented pass-catcher who could present some value for deeper formats.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz is expected to miss "multiple weeks" with the left knee injury he suffered in Sunday's win over the Rams, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The team believes Ertz's ACL is intact, but he's scheduled for an MRI on Monday. We should get another update then, but Ertz owners need to start making other plans at least in the short term. Rookie TE Trey McBride will step in as Arizona's lead TE for however long Ertz is out. He's worth stashing in deeper fantasy leagues, although we wouldn't trust him in Week 11 fantasy lineups.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz exited in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game vs. the Rams with a left knee injury. He's officially questionable to return, but Ertz was carted back to the locker room, so don't expect to see him back out there. His absence leaves rookie Trey McBride as Arizona's lead TE.
The Cardinals made rookie TE Trey McBride a healthy inactive for Sunday's opener against the Chiefs. No one should have been expecting immediate impact from the 2nd-round pick, but this points to how far he is from fantasy football relevance. Zach Ertz entered the game questionable with a calf issue, yet Arizona chose not to activate a 3rd TE (behind #2 Maxx Williams). McBride remains interesting long term.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz (calf) is active for today’s game vs. the Chiefs. Still dealing with a calf injury he suffered back on August 4, Ertz got in just limited practices on Wednesday and Friday. And HC Kliff Kingsbury hinted Friday that Ertz could be on a snap count in this one. But rookie TE Trey McBride is a healthy scratch, which might suggest optimism about Ertz’s health.
Cardinals TE Zach Ertz left Thursday's practice early and remained out Friday. HC Kliff Kingsbury said the veteran strained a calf, according to Jess Root of Cards Wire. We'll watch for further indications on the severity. Rookie TE Trey McBride (back) also missed a 2nd straight day of practice Friday.
Cardinals GM Steve Keim gave his scouting report on rookie TE Trey McBride. “The guy can do it all,” he said. “He can play in-line, he can flex, he can motion, he can play out of the backfield. He’s got tremendous hands and a great catching radius. He’s really strong in a crowd. And his character is off the charts. He’s a three-time captain, a phenomenal leader and we’re just thankful he was there [to draft].” Keim added that McBride was “by far the highest graded [prospect]” at pick #55. Zach Ertz’s contract makes it tough for the team to move on before 2024, so McBride figures to play a part-time role for the foreseeable future.
The Cardinals grabbed Colorado State TE Trey McBride in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft. After a solid sophomore campaign, McBride got only a 4-game junior year, thanks to COVID. He won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top TE last season, though, racking up 90 receptions for 1,121 yards. McBride totaled just 10 TD catches for his career and arrives somewhat limited in size and athleticism, but there’s upside as a short-to-midrange receiver. He’ll head to training camp behind TE Zach Ertz but could push the veteran for playing time throughout the season.
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