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Toby McBride put pen to paper, officially signing his letter of intent to play football at Colorado State University.

The moment was meaningful. Football scholarships weren't plentiful for the boys from the small town of Fort Morgan, Colorado. Yet it ended up being about more than just Toby's future. Because on that day, the school also reached out to Toby's younger brother to extend what turned out to be Trey McBride's first scholarship offer.

Toby had told the CSU coaches that Trey, even at such a precocious age, was better than the kids they were already offering.

But Trey didn't see it like that. Not then.

"Coming from where we grew up, people didn't go to college and play football," Trey said. "That wasn't a thing. I excelled in every sport and didn't think about (college). I just wanted to be the best at whatever sport that was going on."

That included any competition with Toby, two years older than Trey. If they were dunking a basketball in the backyard, Trey wanted to top anything Toby might do. On the football field, if Toby got a sack, Trey wanted two. If Toby scored two touchdowns, Trey wanted three.

NFL players have emerged from Fort Morgan – located about 80 miles northeast of Denver and about 85 miles east of Fort Collins, where CSU resides -- prior to Trey McBride. Players like Broncos tight end Joel Dressen and Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen came from the same high school and played at Colorado State.

There was something about Trey, however. Toby was a junior when Trey was a freshman, and the two paired as the varsity starters at defensive end. "We just wreaked havoc," Toby said.

"Knowing he was starting really young, which even in a small farm town is unheard of, was a tell he was going to be special," Toby added.

Sibling rivalries are natural. Trey was a standout in football, basketball and baseball. Toby wrestled after football season, as did Trey's fraternal twin, Dylan.

Trey and Toby are open that they always wanted to see the other succeed, but, Trey admitted, "I always wanted to be known as the best of all the kids."

"Toby always rubs in my face, he was a state champion in wrestling three times and I never won state in anything in my career," Trey said with a smile. "That's still something to this day he still hangs over my head."

Toby, though, saw what was coming in his younger brother. During the recruiting process, Toby attended a handful of football camps at universities like CSU, Wyoming and Nebraska to get himself noticed. What he noticed while there reminded him of Trey.

"You see the athletes running and jumping and you think, 'I see this every day in my backyard,'" Toby said.

Not once did Toby lean into Trey about attending Colorado State. He knew of Trey's many offers through his parents but refrained from discussing it with Trey. Trey had so many options – many more than Toby – that the older brother didn't want to sway him.

Toby was hopeful Trey would end up in Fort Collins, however. Eventually, that's exactly what Trey chose, in part because the school had recruited him from jump, and in part to reunite on the field with Toby.

Again, it was the day to day Toby saw that made him bullish on his brother's future. One of Toby's teammates was future Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup, who had eye-popping physical skills.

"When we'd go out in the yard and Dylan and I tried to hit rocks with a baseball bat – because that's what you do out in the country – we couldn't do it like Trey," Toby said. "This guy's hand-eye coordination is unreal. Then in college, watching how some guys could make the catch, their body control, there were only one or two guys who could do it. Trey was one of them. That's when I knew he was NFL special."

Trey wasn't thinking NFL when he arrived at CSU. He just wanted a degree. But he was named first-team All-Mountain West as a sophomore, and suddenly, being a pro came into focus.

That was also the same year he got to play with Toby for the first time. The elder McBride missed almost two whole seasons after suffering three herniated discs in his back and requiring surgery. Trey was there as both a support system and surrogate.

"It was the hardest thing I had to go through," Toby said. "Trey being on the team made it a lot easier. When you get hurt, you get thrown off to the side. You lose that feeling of the team. But with Trey there, I got to live that through him."

Said Trey, "I was excelling and him seeing me doing well, I think that was encouraging for him and kept his spirits high."

In some ways, it helped. Toby ended up playing at CSU through 2021, long enough to be teammates with Trey through Trey's whole college career. Then, with the NFL beckoning and Trey negotiating new waters, it was Toby's turn to be the anchor.

Toby had already guided Trey through college recruiting. Now it was time to help guide him through the draft process. Both acknowledge their parents, a lesbian couple, know the basics of football but weren't prepared for the onslaught of agents and financial advisers trying to get into Trey's professional world.

Toby stepped in, and Trey encouraged it.

"He was the only one in my family who really understood what was going on," Trey said. "We were trying to navigate it together."

The timing of both leaving college at the same time dovetailed with the idea that Toby move to Arizona with Trey as Trey began his Cardinals career in 2022. Originally planned for about six months, Toby ended up staying through the end of the 2023 season, getting Trey through a slower-than-expected start through his eye-popping second half of last year.

"The bond we have is special," Trey said.

Toby went to every home game and a handful of away games those two seasons. He was there as Trey tried to find footing as a rookie – Trey was a healthy scratch in Week 1 of his first season, and "we weren't expecting that," Toby acknowledged – as veteran Zach Ertz held the role that Trey too was suited to play.

Like high school and then college, Trey's narrative played out the same. Little work the first year, with the break coming sometime into the second season.

"It's not an easy thing in this league," offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said. "At the beginning of the season, based on who is healthy, who we are playing, everyone has a role. Embracing that role, excelling in that role, is important.

"Does that mean everyone is going to be happy in that role? No. And I wouldn't expect them to. I want them to want more. I think (Trey) did a great job of making sure he was ready when his opportunity came."

Of McBride's 110 career receptions over 33 games, 66 came in the final 10 games of 2023.

"That's how it is. You have to prove your way," Toby said. "I told him to keep his head down and continue working. I think he did a phenomenal job at that. It's humbling but that's what you want.

"He learned as much as he could from Zach and Zach was kind enough to help him along the way, but it is character-building. He's better because of it."

"Last year," Trey said, "was just a sample of what I can do."

Veteran guard Will Hernandez's eyes lit up when asked about how Trey McBride – potential Pro Bowl pass catcher – has improved as a blocker.

"Damn, honestly that question got me excited because Trey has been stepping up big time in that aspect," Hernandez said. "He's a dog. He definitely made an emphasis to get better in that area and he's shown it."

What can Trey McBride be as a tight end? His spotlight still isn't going to be the Cardinals' brightest, not with rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and his built-in national recognition. Even after his 81 receptions for 825 yards last year, "I still feel like no one really knows about me," McBride said.

The NFL has been flooded with new young stars at the position, guys like Detroit's Sam LaPorta, Atlanta's Kyle Pitts and Buffalo's Dalton Kincaid. McBride is proud of being part of that group, a new tight end era to emerge whenever Travis Kelce and George Kittle abdicate the throne.

McBride knows having a full year at starter will make a difference. So too will Kyler Murray healthy and ready to play a full season – McBride's damage as a receiver popped when Murray got back to the lineup.

"It's crazy what one year does to you and how it opens up your mind," Hernandez said.

Only 24 – he turns 25 in November – McBride has emerged as a leader in a young Cardinals tight end room and beyond. Coach Jonathan Gannon loves the "positive influences" McBride provides on the practice field, in his preparation, in his willingness to ask questions and his example outside the building.

He's a long way from Fort Morgan, or even from when Toby first came to live with him.

"I think he's good to go now," Toby said.