Arizona Cardinals tight end Tip Reiman is emerging as a key asset in the team’s offense, even if his contributions do not show up on the stat sheet. While fellow tight end Trey McBride receives much of the attention for his pass-catching ability, Reiman’s presence as a blocker and physical player has not gone unnoticed within the team.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing addressed Reiman’s role, stating, “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.” Petzing further emphasized, “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. It’s certainly a big asset for him and what he brings to this offense.”
Reiman played in all 17 games with nine starts during his rookie season, recording six catches for 37 yards. Despite these modest numbers, coaches value his blocking and intensity. As Petzing noted, these qualities are important to what Arizona wants to achieve offensively.
Entering his second year, Reiman says he is more comfortable on the field. “My experience when I’m confident is just playing more free,” Reiman 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.”
Within training camp practices and preseason games, there is a new challenge among Cardinals offensive linemen: compete with Reiman in registering knockdown blocks. Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. commented on Reiman’s effort after one preseason play drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness: “Right now off that one preseason game, we’re all trying to get as many plays like Tip’s on tape,” Johnson 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 (…) 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.”
Looking ahead, coaches hope Reiman can develop into a greater threat as a receiver alongside McBride and new weapons like Marvin Harrison Jr., giving Arizona added versatility as it uses multiple tight ends.
