Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride left the field on Sunday after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit during a scary collision with Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch. Here’s the latest on McBride’s status in Week 3.
What Happened to Cardinals TE Trey McBride in Week 3?
McBride caught a nine-yard pass from Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray with roughly six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
He collided with Branch in a helmet-to-helmet hit on a frightening play. McBride and Branch both left the game and went to their respective injury tents.
Arizona announced that McBride is being evaluated for a concussion.
Terrifying play on this collision with Brian Branch and Trey McBride. pic.twitter.com/Ccf5aiOkkZ
— Henry McKenna (@henrycmckenna) September 22, 2024
McBride had hauled in three receptions for 25 yards before departing. He caught six passes for 67 yards in Week 2 after going 5-30 in Week 1.
McBride, a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, broke out for 81 catches, 825 yards, and three touchdowns in his second pro campaign.
The Cardinals have three other tight ends on their 53-man roster: Elijah Higgins, Tip Reiman, and Travis Vokolek.
Higgins scored a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams last week. Reiman is a third-round rookie out of Illinois.
Fantasy Implications of McBride’s Injury
It has been a really rough day for tight ends. Entering the week, only McBride and Brock Bowers were TE1s in the traditional sense. The former might now be out of action.
McBride only had three catches for 25 yards before leaving the game, but he’s still Murray’s No. 2 target behind Marvin Harrison Jr. If McBride has to miss any time, it would be a slight downgrade to Murray, and possibly Harrison, as defenses could focus in on stopping him even more.
As for the replacement for McBride, there isn’t one. I would expect the Cardinals to use more three- and four-receiver sets, possibly making Greg Dortch a bit more interesting. Even so, there isn’t anyone in this passing game I would trust beyond Harrison.
— PFN Fantasy Analyst Jason Katz