Who Should I Start? Eric Saubert or Trey McBride

Monday, April 8, 6:15 PM

The San Francisco 49ers signed free-agent tight end Eric Saubert to an undisclosed one-year deal on Monday. Saubert was initially drafted in the fifth round (174th overall) by the Atlanta Falcons in 2017 out of Drake. The 29-year-old spent the first two years of his NFL career in Atlanta before stops with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. He was with the Cowboys and Texans in 2023 and caught all three of his targets for 12 yards in 10 games (one start). Saubert has 36 career receptions on 55 targets for 292 yards and two touchdowns in 84 games (16 starts) in his seven NFL seasons. In San Francisco this year, Saubert will operate as tight end depth behind starter George Kittle alongside Brayden Willis, Cameron Latu and Jake Tonges.

Saturday, September 7, 6:12 AM

Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride is expected to pick up where he left off following his breakout last year. Drafted in 2022, McBride was hardly involved in the offense at all until Zach Ertz was placed on injured reserve halfway through the 2023 season. Once McBride had the TE1 role to himself, he took off, ending the season with the team lead in targets (106), receptions (81), and receiving yards (825). McBride was targeted on 27% of routes run in 2023, tops among tight ends, and his 2.10 yards per route run ranked second behind George Kittle. Arizona faces the Buffalo Bills in the season opener on Sunday. Despite their solid defense, McBride should be locked into starting rosters and should finish as a TE1.