Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride keeps stacking up the kind of recognition that makes it harder and harder to argue with the tape.
After ESPN’s league survey had him as the NFL’s second-best tight end, Pro Football Network went a step further and put McBride at No. 1 at the position on its list of the league’s top players. That landed him at No. 21 overall.
PFN made its case plainly: “Trey McBride comes in as our highest-rated tight end this year, and he’s coming off a season in which he was undoubtedly the best-performing tight end in the NFL. He led his position with 126 receptions and 1,239 receiving yards, and his 11 receiving touchdowns also tied for first place,” they said.
The outlet also pointed to how much he meant to Arizona’s offense last season. “On an Arizona Cardinals offense that had its rough patches in 2025, McBride was by far the biggest bright spot. He ran away with first place in the PFN TE Impact Score rankings after placing in second in 2024; he’s firmly solidified as an elite tight end, and at 26 years old, he should remain in that category for years to come.”
George Kittle checked in as the No. 2 tight end on PFN’s list, coming in at No. 31 overall.
McBride’s rise has already been rewarded. Even after landing a massive $76 million contract last offseason, he followed it up with a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod, putting together a season that sits near the top historically in terms of production.
He heads into 2026 as Arizona’s clear top player, and there’s a new voice guiding the offense now. Mike LaFleur is in as head coach and calling plays, which gives McBride another chance to build on what he’s already done.
For McBride, though, the focus isn’t just on the flashy stuff. He wants more from himself in the parts of the game that don’t always get the headlines.
“It really starts in the run game,” said McBride to reporters this offseason.
“"You have to be able to block to play tight end. I know I catch a ton of balls, but you have to block in this league.
You have to be able to put your hand in the dirt and get down and get gritty. It's part of the game.
And I think that's something, before I was catching all the balls, that's what I was doing. I was a blocking guy.
I did a lot of that stuff.
"So, I think that's where it starts is being able to want to and have that willingness to get down and get dirty and do that stuff."”
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