Cardinals 2024 position breakdown: Wide receivers and tight ends

Throughout training camp, PHNX Sports will provide an overview of each of the Cardinals position groups with a look at the likely starters, the challengers and players who could provide depth.

To view past position breakdowns, follow these links (more links will be added when those stories are published):

• Offensive line
• Defensive line
• Running backs
• Defensive backs
• Linebackers
• Quarterbacks

Projected starters: WRs: Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, Greg Dortch (slot). TE: Trey McBride.

Marvin Harrison Jr. is the rare rookie who leaves little doubt as to his immediate role. He was the fourth overall pick and three quarterbacks went ahead of him. No receiver has been this hyped since the Arizona Cardinals drafted Larry Fitzgerald 20 years ago. 

He still has to play the game, but MHJ looks the part in practice with a ridiculous combination of size, speed, athleticism and football IQ; the latter no doubt due to his dad’s tutelage.

The quality that may trump all others? Just ask fellow receiver Greg Dortch.

It’s fashionable to peg Michael Wilson as a breakout player this season. The raw ability is there, but Wilson will have to prove that he can stay on the field. He finished with 38 receptions for 565 yards and three TDs last season, including six games with more than 50 receiving yards and four games with four or more catches, but he missed four games and he hasn’t had a fully healthy season since 2019. 

“Just how highly I speak of Marvin, I think I can be in that same tier; in that category,” Wilson said. “I want to go from being a good receiver last year to being a great receiver.”

Speaking of playing with a chip on his shoulder, nobody embodies that approach more than Dortch, the projected starting slot receiver who has battled questions about his size and ability for his entire career. Since signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2019, it has taken five NFL seasons for Dortch to earn an opportunity for a major role. With Rondale Moore traded and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown now playing for the Chiefs, Dortch’s opportunity appears to be at hand.

“I’ve worked my ass off to earn all of this that I’m getting,” he said. “But this is where the real work starts. All the things that I’ve done leading up to this point have just prepared me for this moment and I think that this is just the beginning. You guys probably haven’t even seen anything yet.”

Potential backups: WRs: Zay Jones, Chris Moore, Zach Pascal. TEs: Tip Reiman, Elijah Higgins.

Keep an eye on Zay Jones. With Jacksonville in 2022, he posted a career-high 82 catches for 823 yards, but he had just 62 targets (321 yards) last season. At 6-feet-2, he could offer an interesting complement to the receiving corps, and his height could prove to be an advantage in the red zone over the 5-7 Dortch. Sneaky fantasy possibilities?

Chris Moore signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals in March. He had 70 catches for 972 yards and two TDs over the past two seasons in Houston and Tennessee. Zach Pascal has a history with coach Jonathan Gannon — he was with him in Philadelphia and Indianapolis — and a 6-2 frame that could be useful.

The Cardinals are going to run a lot of 12 personnel sets (one running back, two tight ends) so you could almost list tight end Tip Reiman as another starter. His blocking ability gives him a distinct edge over Elijah Higgins, a converted receiver, but Higgins can still factor in the passing game. The Cardinals selected Reiman with the 82nd overall pick (third round). There are plenty of analysts who love his potential.

Also in the mix: WRs: Tejhaun Palmer, Daniel Arias, Xavier Weaver, Jeff Smith, Dan Chisena, Andre Baccellia. TEs: Bernhard Seikovits, Blake Whiteheart, Travis Vokolek.

Tejhaun Palmer was the Cardinals’ sixth-round selection (No. 191) this year out of the University of Alabama at Birmingham where he had 47 catches for 858 yards and seven TDs last season. He could be a practice squad player this season.

Top photo of Marvin Harrison Jr. in an Ohio State uniform via Getty Images

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