Let’s see who has worn No. 87 for the Cardinals over the years.
The Arizona Cardinals are officially off until training camp begins at the end of July. It is the dead of the offseason, but the end is in sight. In 87 days, the Cardinals will take the field in Week 1 at State Farm Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs to kick off the 2021 season.
No. 87 has changed hands a lot over the years, but it belongs to tight end Maxx Williams, currently rehabbing a knee injury, and has for the fourth year in a row.
Check out Wiliams and other players below who have worn No. 87 over the years.
He is still rehabbing his surgically repaired knee, but there is no timetable for his return.
The Arizona Cardinals re-signed tight end Maxx Williams this offseason to a one-year deal. He is set to play his fourth season with Arizona.
He was having the start of what looked like would be a career season in 2021 but injured his knee in Week 5, tearing his ACL.
One would think he would be on track to be ready for the start of the season.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury cast some doubt on that.
After the team drafted tight end Trey McBride in the second round, Kingsbury was asked about Williams’ recovery.
“He’s been rehabbing,” he said. “You know, it’ll be a process. We know that. We knew that after his initial surgery, but he’s doing everything he can and I don’t have a timetable on it right now.”
Williams’ new contract has no guaranteed money. He gets a bonus for being on the 53-man roster. He gets another bonus for being active in Week 1.
With the selection of McBride, many felt it was an unneeded pick with Williams already on the roster. If Williams is going to take some of the season to get back into form, that McBride pick looks better and better.
The Cardinals think that McBride, their second-round pick this year, is a complete tight end, able to catch the ball and knock guys off the line.
It was a bit of a surprise when the Arizona Cardinals selected tight end trey McBride in the second round of the NFL draft last month. However, the Cardinals are very excited about him. They love the potential he adds.
Many would say he is a younger version of Zach Ertz, whom they re-signed this offseason for three seasons.
They don’t see McBride as an Ertz clone. They see him as even more versatile.
“He’s more similar to Maxx Williams,” Cardinals vice president of player personnel Quentin Harris said on The Dave Pasch Podcast. “A little younger, a little more athletic.”
Williams has not put up big numbers but was having what looked like a career season last year before his tore his ACL in Week 5. His blocking opened up the running game and he caught some passes. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has raved on multiple occasions about how Williams is a complete tight end.
“In this day in age, it’s really difficult to get a tight end who can catch the ball and be a receiver as well as run block,” Harris said. ?That’s why we love Trey so much because he’s a guy who can line (up) inline and knock people off the ball or he can flex out and be matched up versus a safety and feel good.”
McBride caught 90 passes for 1,121 yards and a touchdown for Colorado State last season. He was universally considered the best tight end in the draft.
Being a tight end like Maxx Williams is potentially important because Williams is coming back from his knee injury.
After McBride was drafted, it was revealed that Williams has no timetable for his return.
Both McBride and Williams ended up being the 55th pick in their respective drafts.
McBride is 6-4 and 246 lbs. Williams was 6-4, 249 coming out of Minnesota for the draft.
They profiled similarly athletically.
If McBride can be similar to Williams in effectiveness, he will have ended up being a fantastic draft pick.
Williams returns for his fourth season with the Cardinals making little more than the league minimum.
One of the nine players the Arizona Cardinals have re-signed this offseason in free agency is tight end Maxx Williams. He signed a one-year deal to return for a fourth season with the Cardinals and it is an absolute bargain.
His salary qualifies for the veteran salary benefit, which means his cap hit will be less than what he is paid.
He will be paid the league minimum at $1.12 million. He does not have any guarantees.
He does not get a signing bonus, but he can earn more than $150,000 in bonuses.
If he makes the 53-man roster, he will earn a $15,000 roster bonus. If he is active in Week 1, he will make another bonus of $52,500. He will also earn $5,000 per game he is active in roster bonuses.
The total of his contract is worth more than $1.27 million in maximum earnings. However, his cap charge will only be $920,000.
It is an absolute steal for the Cardinals.
Williams was having a career season in 2021 before he tore his ACL in Week 5. He will be the Cardinals’ No. 2 tight end behind Zach Ertz, but his return will be huge for the offense in 2022.
Maxx Williams should be on the Titans’ radar in free agency.
The Tennessee Titans need to upgrade the tight end position in 2022, and they’ll start looking to do so when free agency begins next week.
With the lack of utilization of the tight end in the passing game in recent years, and with the team not having a lot of funds to spare, chances are Tennessee won’t be breaking the bank to fill the position.
One affordable tight end with some upside who was suggested for Tennessee by Pro Football Focus’ Ben Linsey is Arizona Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams. Here’s what he wrote:
“Injuries to Derrick Henry, A.J. Brown and Julio Jones last season highlighted Tennessee’s need to build a better cast of complementary options on offense. Williams might not be the first name that comes to mind when looking for an offensive difference-maker, but he’s one of the more intriguing tight end options available.
“Williams’ 83.8 PFF run-blocking grade since joining the Cardinals in 2019 ranks first among all tight ends — an important consideration on an offense like Tennessee’s. There’s a possibility that he could add more than anticipated as a receiver, as well. Williams caught 16 of 17 targets in an expanded receiving role prior to his Week 5 injury last season.”
As PFF notes, Williams is a sensational blocking tight end, especially in the run game. He’s also a capable receiver, which could make him the well-rounded, every-down upgrade Tennessee needs.
In 2021, Williams finished with 16 catches for 193 yards and one score in five games. He was well on his way to smashing his previous career-highs, but suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 that ended his season early.
Williams brings the kind of upside for a reasonable price that the Titans should be exploring with their financial situation. Spotrac estimates a Williams contract at three years, $20 million ($6.6 million per).
Signing Williams would give a win-now team like Tennessee the starting-caliber tight end it needs, while also allowing the team to draft and develop a tight end behind him should it select one in the 2022 NFL draft.
We break down the past season at tight end, who is left on the roster and what they need to do this offseason.
The Arizona Cardinals are in the offseason and are evaluating what to do to improve and address the roster in 2022 after an improved but still very disappointing 2021 season.
Over the next several days, we will look at each position group, how it did in 2021, who is on the roster moving forward and what the Cardinals need at the position moving forward.
The injured tight continues to be part of the team even while he is unable to contribute with his play.
Arizona Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams’ season is over in terms of playing. He had season-ending knee surgery and now enjoys his team’s games in the comfort of his home.
He has given fans and teammates some gameday entertainment. One week, he suited up in his helmet and uniform to watch the game. Another week, he replicated head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s 2020 draft setup and yet another he honored Pat Tillman.
This past weekend, he announced an award he would give one of his teammates.
He calls it the “To the Maxx” MVP and the trophy has an image of him on his chair in uniform.
Changing it up this week! I would like to Introduce the #ToTheMaxx Award. I’ll give this out to who I think is the player of the game each week, so hit me up with any suggestions during the game!#redsea@AZCardinals #1-0 pic.twitter.com/MTIdlYvEbz
Arizona Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams’ season is over after knee surgery. However, even though he is at home and not with his teammates, he is ready for the team to take on the Houston Texans.
Despite being limited to having to watch the game from home, he got suited up and shared it on Twitter. To watch the game, he has his jersey, his helmet and cleats on, sitting on a recliner with a ball in his hands and his feet up. He has his surgically repaired right knee elevated.
His message?
Might not be playing, but locked in for today! 1-0 mentality!
With his season-ending injury, the Cardinals went out and traded for tight end Zach Ertz. He makes his debut against the Texans as Williams watches on from home.
The Cardinals placed him on injured reserve on Wednesday and head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters Williams would not return this season.
He would not go into details as to what happened to his knee and what severity it was, but he made this clear. “He’ll be done for the season.”
Williams also confirmed it was season-ending on Twitter, stating he would be back better and stronger next season.
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with support! Your thoughts and prayers mean more to me and my family then words can explain! This is just a speed bump not a road block for my career! Looking forward to being back and stronger next year!
I just want to say thank you to everyone who has reached out with support! Your thoughts and prayers mean more to me and my family then words can explain! This is just a speed bump not a road block for my career! Looking forward to being back and stronger next year!
His loss is significant to the Cardinals. He is their best tight end. He is a very good blocker and a threat in the passing game as well.
He finishes the season with 16 receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown in only five games. It is his highest reception total since his rookie season in 2015 when he caught 32 passes.
There wasn’t much new information about the injured Arizona Cardinals players.
The Arizona Cardinals enter Week 6 with questions about several players and their injury status. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury addressed the media Monday afternoon and gave updates about some of those players.
