The Cardinals are heading into training camp with a lot more on their plate than the usual roster churn. They’re installing a new offense, and that means the early days in the desert are about getting everyone on the same page while new veterans and rookies adjust to the climate and the work in front of them.
That makes the tight end room worth watching right away. Arizona can’t afford to be a one-man show here, not with Trey McBride carrying the load by himself.
The expectation is that this group should look better, even if some of the setbacks have come through injuries. Still, the rest of the room has to do more than just fill out the depth chart.
There are seven tight ends in camp, including newcomers Teagan Quitoriano from the Atlanta Falcons, former San Francisco 49er Kenny Yeboah, and undrafted rookie Jameson Geers.
McBride remains the centerpiece. At 6-foot-4 and 246 pounds, he’s already proven what he can do, and this offense looks built to feed him.
The scheme leans on the short passing game and the run, which should suit him perfectly. His target totals have climbed from 104 to 111 to 169 last season, and the source material doesn’t exactly hide the confidence in what comes next: Marvin Harrison, Sr. has the record for the most targets in a single season with 205, and if Vegas is putting a line on McBride breaking that plateau, take the over.
He caught 126 passes last year, and the expectation here is that he pushes beyond 150 on his way to a First Team All-Pro nod.
The real test is what comes after McBride. This offense needs at least three tight ends who can contribute, and that’s non-negotiable.
Tip Reiman, listed at 6-foot-5 and 271 pounds, brings a different kind of value. He wasn’t used much as a receiver in college, but the view here is that he can actually catch the ball well.
In previous offenses, he simply wasn’t asked to do it. In this one, he could be looking at 500-600 yards, while also serving as an exceptional blocker thanks to his tackle-sized frame.
The last roster spot is still up for grabs, with five players in the mix and training camp set to sort out which two survive the cut.
There’s also a clear warning sign if things go sideways. McBride is considered durable, so the bigger concern is what happens if his backup and TE3 get hurt.
In that case, the offense could stall quickly. Reiman dealt with a horrible injury last year, and Elijah Higgins, at 6-foot-3 and 245 pounds, has his own case to make.
He could pair with McBride while Reiman slots in as the third option, but Higgins needs more than the 37 targets he got last season. He has good hands, but the issue is separation; he doesn’t consistently shake linebackers or safeties.
That’s why the worst-case outcome looks a lot like last year: McBride, and basically nothing else. If that happens again, this offense will live and die with the tight end room.
Still, the long view points in a more promising direction. By 2026, this group is expected to become one of the bright spots in the new offense, and Cardinals fans may soon know every tight end on the roster.
The short passing game should keep feeding these players, even if the deep ball isn’t a major part of the attack. The production may come in steady chunks rather than explosive bursts, but that fits the position.
Higgins could be a major beneficiary. He isn’t built like Reiman, but he offers a wide catch radius and can create problems for a safety.
His route running is limited and he doesn’t have top-end speed, but he can get to the high point of the throw and has decent YAC numbers. Nobody is asking him to be McBride 2.0, but paired with Reiman’s blocking and McBride’s receiving ability, he could help stretch defenses down the seam.
As for the rest, Kenny Yeboah is the only one with NFL experience, having spent four years with the New York Jets, though he wasn’t targeted often there either. For now, the Cardinals’ tight end picture still runs through McBride and Higgins as receivers, Reiman as the in-line and downfield blocker, and the final roster and practice squad decisions as the last big questions to settle.
In Other News...
Cardinals Starter Facing Serious Trouble Right Before Training Camp
Isaiah Adams was supposed to be part of the Cardinals interior line conversation heading into training camp, but his offseason has taken a far different turn. The right guard, a 2024 third-round pick who had already earned starts for Arizona, is now facing serious legal trouble after Durham Regional Police wrapped up a guns-and-gangs investigation in Ontario.
For a team trying to settle its offensive line before camp opens, the timing is especially awkward. Arizona acknowledged the situation and said it would not comment further, leaving Adams status in limbo just as he was set to compete for a bigger role up front. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Just Got Linked To A Franchise QB Dream Scenario
With NFL camps opening, a fresh 2027 mock draft has already started stirring up the kind of quarterback chatter that follows Arizona everywhere. The projection is only speculative, built around current rosters and team needs, but it places the Cardinals in a familiar spot at the center of a franchise-defining conversation, with the kind of foundational quarterback answer that can reshape a rebuild in a hurry.
The bigger point is how early these conversations are beginning, and how much can still change before the college season and the next two NFL seasons play out. The mock also notes that the quarterback class could deepen as the year goes on, which means Arizona is being linked to a dream scenario now even though the board, the rosters and the need at the top could look very different by the time the draft actually arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Camp Opens With Three Huge Questions Fans Cant Ignore
Training camp is about to tell the Cardinals a lot about how their offense will look in the early going, starting with the quarterback picture and how quickly the new pieces can settle in. Jacoby Brissetts situation remains part of the backdrop, and if he is not back in the fold right away, the first-team work will have to go somewhere else as the team sorts out who is best positioned to steer the offense through August.
Jeremiyah Love is another reason this camp carries extra weight. Arizona used the third overall pick on the rookie back, and now the real test is how the staff chooses to deploy him as both a runner and a receiver. Layer in first-time head coach Mike LaFleur, and the Cardinals are not just trying to get ready for the season, they are trying to figure out what kind of team they want to be while the pads are finally on. [Read more 🡒]