The Arizona Cardinals are sitting at 2-4 right now, but they just pulled off an impressive Week 6 win against the Los Angeles Rams. Now, they’re set to face the Denver Broncos this Sunday, and Denver’s defense is going to have their hands full with one particular player.
Arizona’s Massive Overhaul: Out With The Old, In With The… Well, We’ll See
This Cardinals team is not the one we saw last year. They wrapped up their 2025 regular season at a dismal 3-14, dead last in the NFC West. That kind of performance meant big changes, and Head Coach Jonathan Gannon was out after three seasons, replaced by Mike LaFleur. When a new coach rolls in, the roster usually gets a facelift, and Arizona really went at it this offseason, clearly trying to forge a brand new identity.
On offense, they made some massive moves. Quarterback Kyler Murray is gone, and they even recently traded wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Houston Texans. That’s a serious shake-up, right? Defensively, they parted ways with linemen Dalvin Tomlinson and Bilal Nichols, plus linebacker Akeem-Davis Gaither. To fill those holes, they brought in Gardner Minshew as Jacoby Brissett’s backup at quarterback and totally revamped their receiving corps with Kendrick Bourne, Devin Duvernay, and Simi Fehoko. Tyler Allgeier was a big free agent pickup to bolster their ground game, and they stacked up on starters for both their offensive and defensive lines. In the 2026 NFL Draft, they nabbed Notre Dame standout Jeremiyah Love, hoping he’d be a foundational piece on offense. They also drafted Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis in the second round, but tough break, he tore his MCL in the preseason and is out for the whole year. Georgia quarterback Carson Beck was their third-round pick. Honestly, their rookie class hasn’t really made a big splash yet.
The McBride Problem: A Tight End Dominating The League
Here’s the real headache for the Broncos this Sunday: tight end Trey McBride. This guy is the absolute focal point of the Cardinals’ passing attack, and he’s easily one of the NFL’s best at his position. He’s the biggest X-factor for Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph and his squad, no doubt about it.
McBride had an unbelievable 2025 season, hauling in 126 catches for 1,239 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns, earning him first-team All-Pro honors. That’s elite production, pure and simple. And this season? He’s still a reception machine, leading the entire NFL with 49 catches through just six games. The crazy part is, his yards per catch has seen a drastic drop, totaling only 361 yards on those receptions with 3 touchdowns. Still, he gets targeted constantly and has a knack for moving the chains on critical third downs. The Broncos’ defense has done a pretty good job limiting opposing teams’ top receiving options so far this season. But if they want to win on Sunday, they cannot let McBride go off.
The Broncos have a challenge on their hands. Their defense has been pretty good at shutting down top receivers, but Trey McBride is operating on another level with those catch numbers. If they let him run wild and move the sticks on Sunday, it’s going to be a tough outing for Denver. We’ll be watching to see if Denver can lock him down and keep their season momentum going.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
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