With the Arizona Cardinals installing a new offense under new head coach Kliff Kingsbury, the tight end position’s value appears to be devalued. Many talk about having four and five receivers. However, the Cardinals will carry tight ends.
Next up in our positional preview for training camp, we look at who is on the roster, what questions there are, what expectations there are, the outlook and who to watch.
The players
- Charles Clay enters his ninth NFL season and first with the Cardinals’
- Drew Belcher is an undrafted rookie.
- Darrell Daniels enters his third NFL season and second with the Cardinals, after joining the team in the second half of last season.
- Ricky Seals-Jones enters his third year in the league and with the team.
- Maxx Williams begins his fifth year in the league and first with the Cardinals
- Caleb Wilson is a rookie, drafted in the seventh round this year.
The questions
The biggest question, to begin with, is just what the tight end’s role in the offense will be. NFL offenses need tight ends but many talk of Kingsbury’s scheme of four and five receivers spread out. The likelihood is they will do that but one will be a tight end and another will be David Johnson.
Charles Clay was one of the most productive tight ends from 2013-2017, as he averaged 57 catches a season. His play and production dropped dramatically last year. Was that a fluke because of the offense, the quarterback and injuries, or is he in decline?
Another big question is simply how many will make the roster. If they only ever have one tight end on the field, they won’t need more than three.
The expectations
The truth is there aren’t many expectations for the group. Most believe they won’t play much. However, their versatility will be key. Clay’s and Seals-Jones’ ability to be a mismatch in the passing game could be important, even if they don’t have big numbers.
Of course, all you have to do is look to Kingsbury’s first year at Texas Tech and see the monster numbers his tight end had that year. Jace Amaro caught 106 passes, so they can be an integral part of the offense when they have the talent.
The roster battles
With as few as three roster spots going to the position, the battles will be across the board.
There are some interesting similarities between the players.
Ricky Seals-Jones and Darrell Daniels are converted wide receivers. Caleb Wilson and Drew Belcher are former quarterbacks.
Maxx Williams and Charles Clay are both traditional tight ends. Williams is known for his blocking.
Clay seems like a sure thing. The battle is between everyone else.
The locks, bubble players and wild cards
Clay is, if healthy, the only lock at the position.
Everyone else is on the bubble.
The one true wild card in this group is Maxx Williams because he is different than the rest of the group.
Because of special teams play, a traditional tight end is needed. Because he is stronger at the point of attack, he might be necessary on the roster, so if this is the case, Seals-Jones, Daniels, Wilson and Belcher are all battling for one spot on the roster.
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