Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride has had back-to-back special seasons. In 2025, he was second in receptions with 126 and had 1,239 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He is arguably the best tight end in the NFL.
However, in a survey by ESPN given to 70 executives, coaches and scouts, McBride isn’t the best in the NFL, but he is almost there.
He is second only to Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. He was ranked fourth a year ago.
He was first on 30% of the ballots and was as low as fifth on some.
McBride’s 72.9 receiving yards per game were nearly 16 more than any other tight end. His 566 yards after the catch were 90 more than any other player at his position. And his 11 receiving touchdowns tied for second leaguewide.
Long known as a receiving threat, McBride has improved his all-around game.
“Ball skills, ball in hand, physical ability — just an extremely impressive player across the board,” an NFL coordinator said. “And not bad in the run game.”
His 71.5 receiving expected points added was easily the best among tight ends and fourth among all pass catchers, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
It is interesting that Bowers wasn’t ranked any lower than third. His rookie season was fantastic, and he was a much more highly-touted prospect coming out of college than McBride and had an impact rookie season.
We will see how Bowers bounces back from an injury-plagued second season, but whether McBride is ranked first, second or even a little lower, Cardinals fans know how good he is, and so do those who cover football.
He has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice in a row and was honored as a first-team All-Pro last season.
If Bowers plays as he did as a rookie and McBride continues to produce at or near this level, this will be a debate that will surely go on for years.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: NFL TE rankings: Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride not No. 1
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