McBride has missed a couple practices with a sore back, but coach Kliff Kingsbury is still hopeful to have the rookie available next Friday (Aug. 12) for the Cardinals' preseason opener against Cincinnati, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.
McBride could see quite a bit of run this preseason, as he's unlikely to have a huge role once the games count, barring an injury to veteran tight end Zach Ertz. The Cardinals also have Maxx Williams, who is coming back from an ACL injury and was activated from the PUP list Thursday morning. Williams isn't likely to catch many passes, but his size and blocking advantage could get him on the field over McBride as the second tight end. It thus looks like an uphill battle to fantasy relevance for McBride, even as a second-round pick coming off a 1,000-yard season at Colorado State.