Barnidge: ‘I’d love to be the number one guy’

Gary Barnidge is patient.

He understands that NFL teams are assessing what they have at tight end through OTAs and minicamps to determine if they want to turn to him for help at the position.

‘I’ve shown I’ve been able to produce with multiple guys throwing the ball’

The veteran has visited one team, the Buffalo Bills, and heard from others, including the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos. He is confident he could be productive as a starter, but if a team wants him to provide experienced depth, that’s fine, too.

“Of course, I would love to be the (number) one guy,” Barnidge told Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn on the SiriusXM Blitz. “I’ve showed the last two years, with multiple different quarterbacks, I was still able to produce without one single guy, whether it be injuries or just things not working out. I’ve shown I’ve been able to produce with multiple guys throwing the ball. But I don’t think that’s an issue, but if they want me to come in and help mentor, I’ve got no problem doing that, either.”

‘I know I’m getting up in my years, which is fine, but I still have plenty of years to play’

Barnidge realizes that the fact he’s 31 might discourage teams from wanting to sign him. After all, it was a youth movement that prompted the Cleveland Browns to release him right after the NFL Draft.

“I know I’m getting up in my years, which is fine, but I still have plenty of years to play,” Barnidge said. “As long as I get the opportunity, I think teams will have no problem with that. They’ll see that I’m still ready, because the first seven years of my career, I never got an opportunity to start, so I didn’t have the wear and tear on my legs. I didn’t have any of that kind of stuff.

‘I’ve been one of the top tight ends in the league’

“The last two years, the first years I got to start, and in those two years, I put up good numbers. I’ve been one of the top tight ends in the league. So my age and stuff, that has nothing to do with me. I’m still able to produce and I’ve shown that.”