Cardinals
Tight ends are the focal point of Arizona’s offense, and Cardinals TE Trey McBride is the focal point of that room. The goal for McBride is to leave the field as rarely as possible, whether it’s in the run or pass game. That allows the Cardinals to avoid tipping off defenses as to what the play might be while still giving them flexibility to scheme the ball to McBride.
“He allows us to be whatever we want to be, whenever he’s in the game,” said Cardinals OC Drew Petzing via the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. “Stretching the field? Great. He can do it. Match up one-on-one versus man (coverage)? He can win. Underneath a zone defense? Catch-and-runs? Feeling space? Making decisions? He’s really talented. And (he) allows us to do all of that without tipping our hand or letting people know what we’re trying to do.”
That also puts a huge load on McBride. Beyond all of the work that goes into being a top-tier pass-catcher, McBride has to be on his game as a blocker to not just avoid being a liability for the offense, but an asset. There’s not just a physical toll involved in that, there’s a mental one, too.
“Tight end in this offense … what we require them to understand mentally is not quite the quarterback, but it’s probably the closest thing,” Petzing said.
McBride has excelled in this role over the past two seasons and was rewarded with a four-year, $76 million deal that made him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end this offseason. He’s come a long way since his rookie season when his role was far less than what it is now, and he’s grateful for the perspective that provided.
“Just keep going,” McBride said. “Trust the process. That’s really what I’ve done. I’ve just continued to take every single day (and) try to become the best version of myself and just know that my time is coming. You don’t get a lot of opportunities in this league. When it does come, you’ve got to take it and run.”
Rams
Rams HC Sean McVay said LB Nathan Landman has made a significant impact so far this offseason and is excited about adding him to the defense.
“You can hear it, you can feel it,” he said, via Rams Wire. “He’s one of those guys, he has some natural leadership traits and characteristics. I think you’re innately thrust into that when you play an inside linebacker position. He’s just got a good feel. He’s got great awareness, a good understanding of how to be able to positively uplift his teammates and challenge them in the right way. I love what this guy is about.”
McVay said that Landman has a knack for being around the ball and referenced a play where he stopped the ball carrier short of the line to gain.
“You saw there was a great play kind of in a short yardage situation that ‘Kam’ Kinchens did a great job of being able to kind of spill the ball outside and Omar and Landman in unison ended up getting a knock-back tackle on a fourth-and-1,” he said. “He has consistently shown that type of stuff.”
Seahawks
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba has been lining up as an outside receiver in Seattle’s training camp. Seattle S Julian Love is confident Smith-Njigba can become one of the “top-end” receivers in the NFL based on his speed, route-running, catching radius, and ability to gain yards after the catch.
“I definitely wouldn’t categorize him as just as slot receiver,” Love said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN. “He’s, I think, one of the best receivers in the league. He has every skillset that you need to be a top-end receiver in this league: speed, route-running, catch radius, yards after catch. He has everything checked off. I can’t speak highly enough of Jax. He works hard, he gets after it, he has a little chip on his shoulder. I hope he gets the recognition that is warranted this early in his career.”
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