Bottom Line

There was nothing encouraging to take from McBride’s 2022 rookie season. He barely hit the stat sheet before TE Zach Ertz went down for the season, and then underwhelmed after taking over for Ertz.

But we know rookie TEs tend to struggle. McBride was a second-round pick a year ago after exploding for 1,121 receiving yards as a senior at Colorado State. And there’s plenty of target opportunity in Arizona, with Ertz iffy for the start of the season and WR DeAndre Hopkins gone.

McBride is certainly capable of taking a significant leap in 2023. Just don’t treat him as more than a TE2 flier.

What We Learned Last Year

• McBride finished his 2022 rookie season with 29 catches for 265 yards and 1 TD.
• He totaled just 142 offensive snaps and 3 receptions behind a healthy Zach Ertz over the first nine weeks of the season.
• Ertz went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 10, and McBride took over as Arizona’s lead TE the rest of the way. He caught 25 balls for 234 yards and 1 TD over the final seven games.
• McBride ranked 19th among TEs in PPR points during that stretch.
• He tallied a 7-78-1 line and TE2 finish in Week 17. But he didn’t rank higher than TE15 in any other week.
• McBride saw 11.8% of Arizona’s targets from Week 11 on, 27th among TEs.
• Among 27 TEs who saw 20+ targets from Week 11 on, McBride ranked:
  • 26th in Pro Football Focus receiving grade
  • 24th in yards per route run

What to Expect in 2023

• Ertz, rehabbing a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee, is uncertain for the start of the season. The Cardinals did not make any notable additions at TE, giving McBride a good chance to open the year as the starter.
• The Cardinals released WR DeAndre Hopkins in late May. He averaged 9.1 targets per game across the last three seasons in Arizona.
• Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore return as the team’s likely top 2 WRs. Greg Dortch is also back. And the Cardinals added WR Michael Wilson in the 3rd round of this spring’s draft. It’s an underwhelming WR corps.
• McBride will play under a new coaching staff this season after HC Kliff Kingsbury was fired. The Cardinals hired former Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon as HC and named Drew Petzing OC. The 35-year-old Petzing spent the past 9 seasons working under Kevin Stefanski in Minnesota and then Cleveland but has no experience calling plays at any level.
• QB Kyler Murray is working his way back from December’s torn ACL and meniscus in his right knee. He’s unlikely to be ready for the start of the season and could miss the first couple of months. QB Colt McCoy is the favorite to start for Arizona until Murray is ready.
• McBride’s 2022 season was disappointing, but he was a second-round pick after exploding for 1,121 yards and winning the 2021 John Mackey Award as the nation’s top TE. Although undersized at 6’4 and 246 pounds, McBride brings plus speed (4.56-second 40 time) and ball skills.