​The Arizona Cardinals will report to training camp on July 22 to begin the arduous process of shaping the roster and determining starting roles in advance of the regular season. As camp opens, we will review every player who was on the offseason roster, examining their background, contract status, performance in 2025, the questions they face, and how they might fit into the team’s 2026 roster outlook. This will be a comprehensive look at who is in the mix, who might surprise, and who could be on the bubble as the Cardinals build toward a competitive season.
Now focusing on tight end Trey McBride, a central figure in the Cardinals’ offense. McBride is entering his fifth NFL season and his fifth with Arizona. Drafted in the second round in 2022, he has emerged as one of the elite tight ends in the league and a cornerstone of the Cardinals’ passing game. He has set the franchise single-season receiving record by a tight end for three consecutive years and, last season, broke the team’s single-season record for receptions, regardless of position, along with posting the franchise’s single-season receiving yards mark for a tight end. In 2024, he was among the league leaders with 126 receptions for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl nod for the second straight year and his first-ever first-team All-Pro honor.
McBride signed a four-year extension worth $76 million last offseason, underscoring his importance to the offense. In 2026, he was allocated a $7.5 million option bonus in March and will carry roughly $3.01 million in salary for the year, with an $8.7 million cap hit. There is zero doubt about his spot on the roster or his place in the starting lineup. He is the Cardinals’ premier pass-catching threat and is expected to remain a nearly all-encompassing presence in the lineup, typically playing on passing downs and a significant portion of early downs as well.
The substantive questions around McBride concern his level of productivity. Has he reached his ceiling, or can he elevate his production even further? With other receivers and potential playmakers earning more opportunities—possibly reducing garbage-time targets—there is a reasonable expectation that a 90-catch, 1,000-yard season would be well within reach and, given surrounding talent, not an unreasonable goal. That said, the landscape of the passing game can shift with changes in the offense, the emergence of new targets, and strategy adjustments. If McBride can sustain or even increase his target share while maintaining his efficiency and red-zone production, he should be poised to post elite numbers again and firmly justify the extension and role he has earned.
As the Cardinals embark on camp and the training camp narrative unfolds, the focus will be on McBride’s integration into year-to-year growth, his chemistry with the quarterback, and how the offense plans to maximize his contributions while balancing opportunities across the receiving corps. His trajectory remains a central storyline in the team’s pursuit of a productive and dynamic offense that can compete at a high level in the upcoming season.