Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride continues to make things interesting. Heading into Week 10, he may hit his largest milestones.
McBride’s name popped up all over NFL.com’s Week 10 Milestone Report. If McBride catches seven passes from Carson Beck, he will move to second place in NFL history with 12 games of seven-plus receptions.
That would leave him two games shy of tying Antonio Brown. Brown’s 14-game streak lasted between Oct. 12, 2014, and Sep. 27, 2015. That is nearly an entire calendar year.
Only four tight ends have ever reeled in 75+ catches in four-plus consecutive seasons in NFL history: Todd Christensen, Jason Witten, Jimmy Graham, and Travis Kelce. With a league-leading 73 receptions this season, McBride is two catches from joining them. Even if he doesn’t get there on Sunday, he will have plenty of time to hit the mark.
He is five catches shy of passing former teammate Zach Ertz for the single-season NFL record of “…most receptions by a tight end in his team’s first 10 games in NFL history.”
Cardinals Tight End Faces A Real Challenge While Chasing NFL History
Ironically, this one coincides with Carson Beck’s scheduled regular-season debut. While McBride and Beck are staring down some unwanted NFL history, McBride has made sure the Cardinals could see the bright side of history, regardless of what happens Sunday.
Should McBride hit all three milestones, he will have at least 80 receptions for the season. That is eight catches per game, and a 17-game pace for 136 catches. As irony would have it, 136 would match Antonio Brown’s single-season best during one of the two seasons when he set the NFL record for most consecutive games with seven-plus catches.
The challenge, though, is that the Rams will key on McBride as much as they will key on Beck. Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne are done for the year. Jeremiyah Love is on injured reserve, Bam Knight has been limited, and injuries have plagued the offensive line.
That said, making NFL history for all the right reasons alongside Beck will put a lot of faith in the rookie. It will also leave zero doubt that McBride will be Beck’s go-to.
McBride Has A Real Opportunity On Sunday Afternoon
While things continue to look bleaker for the Cardinals, McBride’s opportunity is similar to Beck’s. Both enter with the cards stacked against them, albeit in different ways.
Beck is entering his debut with Simi Fehoko and Reggie Virgil as the two top receivers, per the Cardinals’ depth chart. Reality hit Tyler Allgeier in Week 9, and he continues to be the top-listed running back. Knight, however, is listed second, in front of Evan Hull.
One can argue that, besides McBride, Elijah Higgins is Arizona’s second-best pass-catcher. Higgins has 18 catches, 162 yards, and a touchdown this season. That leaves McBride as the only proven pass-catcher heading into Week 10.
That’s what McBride is up against as he and Beck try to make the best of a bad situation. The reward? Remarkable historical milestones for McBride. If that occurs and the trend repeats, McBride may also finally get certainty at quarterback.
Cardinals’ Trey McBride Has Three Shots at NFL History Against Rams