Jets’ McBride shedding underdog label with each practice
Florham Park, N.J. — Tre McBride realizes that few New York Jets fans knew his name as recently as just a few weeks ago. And the speedy wide receiver is OK with that.
He considers himself an underdog, a guy who has been mostly overlooked during a brief NFL career that has included stops with Tennessee and Chicago.
“I feel like any competitor would feel that way about themselves if they were kind of going through the things a roster bubble guy like myself goes through,” McBride said after a recent practice. “I’m not the only one who does and I’m not the only one who’ll ever go through this, so I don’t feel sorry for myself or anything.”
No need. Those days of anonymity might be over.
McBride has had an impressive training camp with the Jets, running with the starting offense at times while making a strong push to make the team’s opening-day roster.
“Yeah, I feel like I have a little chip on my shoulder and maybe I feel like I’m underrated,” McBride said. “But that’s fine. That’s why I’m out here with this opportunity, to show people that I can play ball at the highest level.”
The 25-year-old McBride is part of a receiving corps that includes Robby Anderson, Jermaine Kearse, Quincy Enunwa and Terrelle Pryor. Beyond those four, it’s unclear how many receivers will be kept among the remaining seven.
ArDarius Stewart, Chad Hansen and Charone Peake are recent draft picks, while Andre Roberts is a veteran who provides versatility on special teams as a returner. There’s also Charles Johnson and Lucky Whitehead, once-promising youngsters who are coming off injuries.
And then, there’s McBride, who was signed to the Jets’ practice squad last December after being waived by the Bears.
“They are all pretty solid,” coach Todd Bowles said. “That’s going to be a tough group when final cuts come down because all of them can play and all of them will probably play somewhere in this league. If we do let some go, they’ll probably get picked up.”