Trey McBride was one of the standout prospects at the tight end position coming into the 2022 NFL Draft due to his prolific receiving ability. However, due to various circumstances, McBride wasn’t utilized very much during his rookie campaign.
In Pro Football Network’s NFL Insider Adam Caplan’s recent notebook, he shed some light on how the Arizona Cardinals plan on utilizing the athletic playmaker on offense, and fantasy football managers need to be paying close attention.
Did you get a trade offer in your dynasty or redraft league? Not sure what to do? Make championship-winning decisions with PFN’s FREE Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and Calculator!
Trey McBride Will Be on the Field a Lot More in 2023
The big thing standing in McBride’s way last season was the presence of veteran TE Zach Ertz above him on the depth chart. Kliff Kingsbury’s scheme didn’t call for many multiple TE sets, which left McBride observing from the sideline for the majority of the year.
As a rookie, McBride only logged 563 snaps in 2022, and that was largely a result of Ertz going down with an injury in Week 10. McBride’s talent was on display through the final weeks of the season, but he likely didn’t do enough to completely pass Ertz on the depth chart going into 2023.
While Ertz is coming off of a knee injury, all indications up to this point have been that he will be the starting option for Arizona’s offense when he’s healthy enough to suit up. However, according to Adam Caplan, there may be enough room for both players with the scheme changes under the new coaching staff.
Drew Petzing is coming to Arizona from Cleveland, where he was the Browns’ offensive assistant coach, and he reportedly plans to utilize the fundamentals of Kevin Stefanski’s scheme.
From Caplan’s notebook:
“What those sources added specifically is that you’ll likely see a lot of two-tight sets (12 personnel), which was the base of Stefanski’s offense in past seasons with the Browns.
“And because of the scheme switch, second-year TE Trey McBride, the highest-drafted player at his position last year, could see an increased role in the team’s passing game.”
If that’s the case, McBride could see a steady flow of targets as the season kicks off. Ertz, meanwhile, is still working his way back to full form. After that, though, McBride should remain a solid part of the Cardinals’ offensive game plan, with a chance at fantasy relevance throughout the entire length of the season.
Unfortunately, the only thing standing in McBride’s way from ascending to the top of the TE fantasy ranks is Arizona’s QB play and the overall state of the offense. Kyler Murray is working his way back from his own injury, which means that Colt McCoy will likely be the starting QB for the majority of 2023.
If McBride is going to be a top-12 TE in 2023, he’s going to have to do it on the back of pure target volume. At his current ADP (average draft position), though, he’s worth drafting and seeing how everything plays out.