Could Cardinals' tight ends get lost and forgotten in Kliff Kingsbury's offense? Maybe a little

As exciting and electrifying as the Cardinals’ offense might look this season under first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury and dual-threat rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, there’s one position group on that side of the ball that could end up doing a lot of standing around and watching.

Say hello to the “Expendables,” otherwise known as the Cardinals’ tight ends.

Although it’s too early to tell with any certainty just how Kingsbury plans to employ the tight end into his version of the “Air Raid” offense, it’s a fact the Cardinals will be operating a ton out of the 10 Personnel package. And that, of course, just happens to be the least-favorite formation for a tight end because it features four wide receivers, one running back – and no tight ends on the field.

“Yeah, it’s the worst personnel on the offense,” groaned Maxx Williams, the former Ravens tight end who signed with Arizona as a free agent in May.

What about you, Ricky Seals-Jones? Do you hate it?

“Yeah, I do,” the tight end said, rolling his eyes.

Charles Clay, the elder statesman of the group, isn’t a big fan of 10 Personnel, either. But given the shrewdness that comes with being in the NFL for nine years, the veteran was a bit more diplomatic in his answer.

“Well, if you look at the receivers and stuff we have, you can’t really blame him if that’s what he does,” Clay said, referring to Kingsbury’s intrigue at testing a defense by constantly utilizing a four-wide receiver set.

“I mean, yeah, you probably don’t like it if you’re a tight end,” said Clay, who comes to the Cardinals after spending four years with the Dolphins and four more with the Bills. “But he has the personnel here to do it, so I’m one of those guys where if we do that and we’re winning, that’s fine with me. I will never hang my head or get mad and say I need this many targets or things like that. I’m all about winning.”

Winning is always the priority, but Clay’s move to the Cardinals was expected to result in a career revitalization. An all-purpose threat on offense during his college days in a spread offense at Tulsa, the presumption was that teaming up with Kingsbury would allow Clay to put up the numbers he had during his final two years with the Dolphins, when he averaged 64 receptions and 682 yards.

If the Cardinals start racking up touchdowns with Murray firing off passes to a four-wideout set that includes some combination of Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, Kevin White and rookies Hakeem Butler, Andy Isabella and KeeSean Johnson, Clay could end up being a very lonely man on the sideline.

Same thing for Williams, Seals-Jones – the best route-runner of the group – as well as rookies Caleb Wilson, Arizona’s seventh-round pick out of UCLA, and Drew Belcher, an undrafted free agent from Maine.

“It’s still early,” Clay warned. “Until you start game-planning for teams, you really don’t know what it will be like. We’ll have to see. Right now, we’re still just trying to install the offense and obviously, we’re not using everybody the way they’re going to use everybody. We’ve just got to see how it plays out.”

So far, however, the tight ends aren’t bashful about pointing out how often they’ve seen 10 Personnel being rolled out during the Cardinals’ offseason workouts, which conclude Wednesday with the final voluntary practice at the team’s Tempe training facility. The club will also stage a mandatory, three-day mini-camp next week before taking a six-week break until the start of training camp.

“Right now, we’re mostly just doing a lot of the basic stuff,” said Seals-Jones, the Cardinals’ fourth-leading receiver last season. “We’re doing a lot of rotating and just trying to put the pieces together. Coach is throwing everybody in and just seeing what everybody can do, from the vets to the rookies. It’s hard to see what it’s going to look like, but we’ll all have a pretty good idea once training camp comes.”

Asked if he’s concerned about his number of targets dwindling in 2019, Seal-Jones shook his head.

“Regardless of what happens, I’m going to keep trying to trend up,” he said. “I’m going to get better at what I do, so whatever the outcome is, I’ll be happy as long as I know I did my best. We’ll see what the numbers look like at the end of the year.”

As much as everyone is assuming an all-out aerial assault by Murray and his wide receivers, Kingsbury knows the importance of running back David Johnson. To be successful, the Cardinals will probably run the ball as much as they throw it. As new right guard J.R. Sweezy put it, “We’re going to run it down people’s throats this year.”

For that to happen, the tight-end group will play an integral part as blockers and people movers. That plays perfectly into the strength of Williams’ game, as he helped block for the league’s second-ranked rushing offense a year ago. But Clay is also an accomplished run-blocker and Seals-Jones is getting better at it.

What’s interesting is that each of the Cardinals’ tight ends bring a little something different to the position. What’s just as intriguing is how Kingsbury and his staff intends to mix them in and out of the rotation and who will be paired with whom when they run 12 Personnel – one running back, two wide receivers and two tight ends.

“Yeah, that’s a great question,” Kingsbury said. “That’s kind of what we wanted. We wanted to bring in a diverse group that could do different things in different packages, some that are versatile in the run game and in the pass game, somebody who can stretch the field. And I think we’ve got five guys that are all vying for positions and it’ll be interesting to see how it shakes out.”

To disguise looks and keep the defense honest, the tight-end group will have to earn Kingsbury’s trust as both pass catchers as well as pass- and run-blockers, otherwise it could lead to telegraphing plays. If Seal-Jones is the lone tight end on the field, for instance, it could naturally be assumed a pass play is coming. If it’s only Williams, teams will expect a running play.

“We want to be the most well-rounded group we can be,” Williams said. “We all want to be able to go out there and know we can do all the things that are asked of us. I think the more plays you make as a group, the more opportunities you’re eventually going to get. That’s the way I look at it. I look at it as a challenge for us to show we need to be out there like, ‘Hey, let us be out there and go make plays.’ ”

Imagine how fun it would be for the Cardinals’ tight ends if Kingsbury could figure out a way to get them all out on the field at the same time?

“We’ve joked about that. Definitely,” Williams said, smiling. “I’d love it. Heck, get us all out there. Teams don’t carry five tight ends, though. That might be unheard of. We looked crazy in Baltimore last year with four tight ends on the roster. But sure, I’d love it.”

Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live every Tuesday afternoon between 2-5:30 on AM 1060/SB Nation Radio on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch and every Wednesday afternoon between 1-4 on Fox Sports 910-AM on The Freaks with Kenny and Crash.

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