TEMPE — Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride gets a lot of rightful attention both locally and nationally.
He’s coming off a career year pacing the Cardinals’ receiving game in catches and yards, and with fantasy football drafts underway, the limelight is shining that much brighter on the tight end.
The elite shoe definitely fits for McBride.
But don’t forget about his running mate Tip Reiman, the silent stats assassin who appeared in 17 games (nine starts) as a rookie.
He may not light up the stat sheet behind six catches for 37 yards in Year 1, but his value is “immense” for what this offense wants to accomplish.
“He might not be the first pick on a fantasy team, but on an NFL football team when we’re trying to win games, his ability in that role is extremely important,” offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said Tuesday.
One of Arizona’s certified maulers — Will Hernandez being the other — Reiman brings another level of nastiness and physicality to the room and offense as a whole.
And if there were two factors he was already versed in at the NFL level, it was those.
“It would be hard to ramp up from where he started based on how much pride I think he takes in that and the way he plays the game,” Petzing said with a smile.
“It’s certainly a big asset for him and what he brings to this offense.”
Reiman enters Year 2 in a much better head space like many NFL pros coming off their rookie season.
The game has slowed down for the young tight end, allowing him to focus on ball more than anything else.
“My experience when I’m confident is just playing more free,” he told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke in June. “When I play more free, my hair’s on fire more and I lay into people more, more pancakes. That’s the goal as I continue to get more confident and play more free.
“Kind of that senior year in high school or college feeling. You feel flowy out there. I’m kind of getting into that more. I’m eager to see how comes on game days on Sundays.”
Given Arizona’s run-heavy offensive scheme and heavy usage of 12 personnel, having a legit blocking tight end to pair with an elite pass catcher is crucial to the unit running as it should.
His impact goes beyond the tight ends room, too.
There’s a new challenge inside the Cardinals offensive line room: Beat Reiman in knockdown blocks.
So far this preseason, the tight end holds the edge, though did get flagged for unnecessary roughness on the backend.
More competition the better, says Cardinals left tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
The personal foul aside, the Cardinals OL is “trying to get as many plays like Tip’s on tape.”
Tip Reiman continues to bring big-time physicality to Arizona’s offense. pic.twitter.com/P7GFE2DoWk
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 20, 2025
“Right now off that one preseason game, we’re all trying to get as many plays like Tip’s on tape,” the lineman said. “I know it’s a personal foul to dive on them and all that, but I don’t think anybody really was mad at it,” Johnson said.
“It’s fun to watch the next day. That’s kind of the stuff you talk about in the huddle. We want to show execution, but we want to put some plays on film of just playing hard. Be able to finish guys. He wanted to finish them. We want more of those types of plays across the line.”
Where could Cardinals’ Tip Reiman take another step forward?
Reiman’s blocking has been a career highlight so far.
As for where he can take that next step, it starts with getting more involved as a pass catcher.
With the expected jump from Marvin Harrison Jr., tight end Trey McBride’s ascent and the emergence of Zay Jones as another weapon this training camp, a lot of eyes are going to be focused elsewhere.
Let’s not go overboard here, McBride and Harrison need to get theirs, but there’s room for Reiman to carve out a slightly larger role as a playmaker, especially in the red zone.