Jonathan Gannon: Trey McBride is a big gun

Cardinals tight end Trey McBride put together one of the best games of his young career in Sunday’s win over the Dolphins.

He caught nine passes on 11 targets for 124 yards, including a key 17-yard catch on third-and-1 early in the team’s game-winning drive.

At his press conference on Monday, head coach Jonathan Gannon said McBride’s versatile skill set is what makes him so effective as a tight end.

“He’s not a one-trick pony,” Gannon said. “He’s really good at running back, and then he’s a guy who – I’m talking about receivers, and I think it’s worth mentioning for a tight end – he’s a three-level guy. He can beat you (at the) first level, second level and third level.

“Then I think he really belongs to the elite, with the ball in his hands. He has a knack for knowing when to cover the ball, when to stiffen his arm, when to hinder guys, when to cut back, when to drop his shoulder and when to split two. He’s a hard tackle and he’s fast. He plays with very good balance and very good control. He’s a big guy, so he’s hard to bring down, but when he combines that with those other athletic traits, he’s a big weapon.”

In the last three games, McBride caught 22 passes on 26 targets for 271 yards. While he doesn’t have a touchdown yet this season, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before Kyler Murray finds him for a goal.