We approach the weekend on a Friday and are yet a day closer to the start of the 2024 NFL season. The Arizona Cardinals will open the season on the road against the Buffalo Bills.
That game will kick off in 86 days.
No. 86 currently belongs to receiver Jeff Smith, who has been in the league since 2019 but spent part of last season on Arizona’s practice squad. He was re-signed after the season’s conclusion.
He is not what you would consider an impact player, as he has yet to appear in a game with the Cardinals.
Who was the last impact No. 86?
That is easy, it was tight end Zach Ertz.
The Cardinals traded for Ertz in 2021 and he tied the team’s single-season record for receptions by a tight end with 56 in only 11 games.
He had another 47 receptions in 10 games in 2022 before he tore his ACL and returned to play in 2023, appearing in seven games and catching 27 passes before he injured his quad, landed on injured reserve and then was released upon his request after Trey McBride broke out and Ertz would have no spot in the lineup.
He didn’t do as well as most thought he would after his 2021 season, but he was certainly still an impact player for Arizona.
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