Just because Trey McBride is one of only six players to earn a 99 rating on “Madden NFL 27” doesn’t mean the All-Pro tight end can’t elevate his game with the Arizona Cardinals and become an even better overall player.
As McBride reminded everyone shortly after his 99 rating was announced earlier this summer, “It’s a video game, so it is what it is.”
“But it is pretty special to get that recognition,” he added.
McBride, though, is seeking more. He wants to be the best there is. After establishing an NFL single-season record for most receptions by a tight end (with 126 in 2025), which also set a single-season franchise record for most catches by a Cardinals player, it’s fair to wonder how much better he can become.
It doesn’t mean he can’t take his
play to another level, though.
“It’s a great question because you’re talking about a guy who’s put some pretty cool tape out already and his play style and all those kind of things,” Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur said. “But there are little margins in terms of what he can do.”
LaFleur mentioned McBride’s route tree and how it can continue to expand since his rookie season in 2023 when the second-round pick was rarely targeted or used in any real critical situations. The first-year head coach declined to offer specific details, but noted McBride could handle deeper and intermediate routes because he has the speed, body type and savvy to get to the right point at the right time.
“There’s some schematic stuff we can do with him,” LaFleur said. “It’s just those little margins that are all over. It’s not just Trey; it’s all these guys. The great ones, they want to find a way to get to that next step.”
McBride, 26, has caught 318 passes for 3,210 yards over the past three seasons, including 11 touchdown receptions last season, the second most in the league. He has earned back-to-back Pro Bowl selections and is regarded as one of the best young tight ends in the business.
But will a new and improved Trey McBride still produce those types of numbers, or will his expected altered role change those pass-catching dynamics? It very well could, and that appears to be just fine with the former Colorado State standout.
“The run game is always something I need to get better at,” he said. “Obviously, I get highlighted in the pass game, and I catch a ton of balls. But to be able to catch that many balls, you have to be a factor in the run game.
“With Jeremiyah (Love), with James (Conner), with Tyler (Allgeier), all these running backs that we have, we’re going to run the football. It’s not a secret. I have to be at the point of attack. I’ve got to be out there, and I have to be able to move guys, or this offense isn’t going to work.”
If McBride’s run-blocking skills improve to the point where it helps the Cardinals’ rushing attack return to the Top 10 unit it was in five of the previous six seasons before 2025, that’s nothing but a plus. He is still sure to catch plenty of passes and be a hot target in the red zone, but the more he can do, the better.
In the end, players aren’t simply judged on stats. It’s the intangibles that matter, too.
“In the run game, I think he’s always battled,” LaFleur said of McBride. “He’s not a massive man. But he loves it. He’s smart. He knows angles, and he’s physical, so he is an asset in the run game. But we’ve got to be smart with that.
“I don’t think I’m going to have him one-on-one with (Rams defensive end) Myles Garrett. But if we did, I know he’d battle his butt off because that’s just how he’s made. I love that guy, love working with him. All he wants is to continue to improve.”
As good as he’s become, McBride in no way sees himself as a finished product. That can only serve himself and the Cardinals well as they prepare to head into an uncertain season where no one outside of the locker room is giving them much of a chance.
“I feel like there’s still a lot of things I can be better at,” McBride said. “I’m not as good as I want to be. There’s a lot of things that you’re always striving to be a better player, whether that’s the little things, whether that’s taking care of your body, whatever it may be.
“I’m always trying to improve as a person, improve as a player and that will never stop from now until I’m 60 years old. I just want to keep getting better every day. That’s kind of my goal and I’m going to keep trying to do that every year and hopefully each year will exceed the previous.”
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic .Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Trey McBride will elevate his quest to be the best | Opinion
