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Trey McBride Talks Up Cardinals' Breakout Potential in 2026
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Arizona Cardinals are officially entering an entirely new era. Kyler Murray is now with the Minnesota Vikings. Mike LaFleur has replaced Jonathan Gannon as head coach. And Jeremiyah Love is the new face of the franchise.
Yet everybody still views this situation as a rebuild, with the Cardinals seen well below their NFC West counterparts — the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Seattle Seahawks — let alone all the other loaded rosters across the NFL .
But in the eyes of All-Pro tight end Trey McBride, Arizona is right where it wants to be and has all the talent on offense to turn some heads in 2026.
"I think we're just about to break out. I think this is the year where it happens," McBride told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "The talent is very underrated, but I think the offensive skill is one of the best in the NFL. We just drafted a stud running back in Jeremiyah [Love]. We've got Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, James Conner, Tyler Allgeier. I mean, we've got so many guys that can play on this offense. I'm just excited to go out there and make plays and see what we can do. I'm so excited for our team. I'm so excited for the fresh start that we have with the new head coach. And just go out there and let it rip."
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McBride was the Cardinals' 55th overall pick in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft and just had the best year of his career, racking up 1,239 receiving yards — the most of any tight end in the NFL — along with a career-high 11 touchdowns on 126 catches. He earned his second straight Pro Bowl nod, his first first-team All-Pro honor, and looks every bit like the best tight end in football right now.
But he's not the only reason this offense is so dangerous. The Cardinals used their fourth overall pick in 2024 to select Ohio State's star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who's still developing but has already shown all the traits needed to become an elite WR1.
Michael Wilson, Arizona's third-round pick in 2023, has evolved into one of the best WR2s in the league, coming off a breakout 2025 season in which he posted 1,006 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns on 78 catches — all career highs.
The run game might be even deeper. They've got two-time Pro Bowler James Conner, who's recovering from a foot injury suffered last season but remains one of the strongest backs in the league. The team also added Tyler Allgeier in the offseason, who spent the last few years backing up Bijan Robinson in Atlanta but posted a 1,000-yard rushing season as a rookie in 2022.
Of course, the headliner is Jeremiyah Love, who was a unanimous All-American and won the Doak Walker Award last season at Notre Dame after rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns in 12 games. The Cardinals selected him third overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
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There's real pressure on this offense to break out. The Cardinals have invested significant draft capital in all of these pieces, and some of them are entering make-or-break years.
But if the defense can hold its own — which, through parts of last season, it looked like it could — this is a Cardinals team with the potential to surprise some people in 2026.
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