Niklas (wrist) was recently deemed healthy during OTAs, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic reports.
A second-round pick in 2014, Niklas' career has been derailed by a deluge of injuries. In advance of the draft, Niklas was diagnosed with a sports hernia at the Combine and required surgery. Then, in just his third spring practice with the Cardinals, he broke a finger in his left hand. After suffering through two severe ankle sprains in the first half of his rookie season, Niklas was mercifully placed on IR, ending his campaign. As a sophomore, he avoided the injury bug, yet managed just four receptions for 33 yards and two touchdowns across 16 games. To wrap up his professional injury history, Niklas hurt his left wrist in Week 3 last season, and a season-ending procedure was promptly ordered up. As he goes through his third full offseason program, he has already been termed one of the Cardinals' starting tight ends (along with Jermaine Gresham) by head coach Bruce Arians, per Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com. Whether the role allows Niklas to tap into his potential remains to be seen, but Gresham is the proven commodity among the tight ends, who must perform ably as both pass catchers and blockers in Arians' offense. As a result, Niklas will be hard-pressed to produce consistently as the fifth or sixth option, at best, within the passing attack.