Cardinals' Trey McBride sets lofty Chiefs 'connection' goal for himself and Kyler Murray

Compared to maybe any other time in NFL history, there seems to be a greater number of uniquely talented and dynamic tight ends across the league than ever before. Consider, that during the 2024 season, 10 of the top 50 spots among the league leaders in receptions were occupied by tight ends. That number was seven both 10 and 20 years ago, highlighting not only a deeper talent pool, but a more evolved approached to using these big-bodied pass catchers within the scheme of the offense.

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is a perfect example of this new breed of tight end. McBride, who was selected in the 2^nd round of the 2022 NFL Draft after an illustrious career at Colorado State, arrived in the NFL with a well-rounded skillset that almost immediately translated to the pro game. Following a quiet rookie season in which he caught just 29 passes for 265 yards, McBride nearly quadrupled his output in year two. After year three, McBride earned his first Pro Bowl nod, and thanks to the implementation of a saucier offenseahead of the 2025 season, he could see his numbers rise again.

But it’s not just a more creative scheme that will propel McBride into the highest tier of the league’s best tight ends. There’s a chemistry he needs to be developed between himself and Arizona’s enigmatic quarterback Kyler Murray before this young Cards duo can be consider among the league’s best. And after spending some time with Travis Kelce at the annual Tight End University Camp in Nashville, McBride knows what he and Murray need to be aiming for.

"Travis, he would always give us some nuggets on being friendly to the quarterback," McBride told ESPN's Laura Rutledge and Dan Orlovsky, per Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “Him and Mahomes have a nice connection and I kind of took that and was like, 'Why can't Kyler and I have that same connection?' I feel like that's what I tried to do. I tried to have that same relationship and that growth with Kyler and just continue to make plays for him and be that security blanket. If he needs somewhere to go with the ball, he always can throw it to me and that's what I'm trying to do for him."

From a pure production standpoint, Murray and McBride aren’t that far off from where Mahomes and Kelce have been each of the last two seasons.

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Murray (2023-24) – 226.0 pass yards per game, 68% completion, 31 passing touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 92.2 passer rating, 32.6 rush yards per game, 8 rushing touchdowns

Mahomes (2023-24) – 253.5 pass yards per game, 67% completion, 53 passing touchdowns, 25 interceptions, 93.0 passer rating, 21.8 rush yard per game, 2 rushing touchdowns  

McBride (2023-24) – 253 targets, 192 receptions, 1,971 yards, 5 touchdowns

Kelce (2023-24) – 254 targets, 190 receptions, 1,807 yards, 8 touchdowns

It should be mentioned that Travis Kelce is at a much different place in his career than Trey McBride is. Kelce’s wheels have a lot more miles than McBride’s do, and until McBride replicates this sort of production over the course of a decade, any comparisons to Kelce should at the very least be taken with a grain of salt. But frankly, it would be much more accurate to say that it’s Kyler Murray who is more likely to keep this duo back from potentially becoming Mahomes-Kelce lite out in the desert.