Tight End Won’t Be Area Of Concern For Bucs In 2024

So, Tampa Bay’s tight end room doesn’t have the best depth but the group will be protected by how the offense will function. It’s kind of telling when what they will benefit from the most is being used less. Oddly enough, that may come as an advantage for starter Cade Otton, who was an ironman for the Bucs playing 98% of the snaps throughout the season.

There’s no doubt Otton is efficient as a pass catcher. He was never going to be the first option given the skill players that the Bucs have, but his stat line of 47 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns was respectable. Where Otton probably struggled the most was inline blocking. Did some of this have to do with fatigue? It’s possible, but the plan this year is to not wear him out by playing every single snap, so hopefully he can get better as a receiver and blocker.

“You have to remember how young these guys are,” new Bucs tight ends coach Justin Peelle said about Otton’s blocking and overall usage. “They’re coming from college where a lot of times you’re not asked to do it. And then the kids are coming out so early these days that they’re still developing, they’re still getting stronger. There is some technique stuff that you need to work on. Again, he’s only going into his third year, it takes some time to get that down.

“There’s some very good defensive players that you’re going to face, especially in this division, that you’ve got to have your technique right, you’ve got to have some good strength. Understand where you’ve got to be and when you got to be there, that type of deal. A lot of that comes from experience, a lot of that comes with reps, which he’s gotten a lot of and I thought he got better as the year went on. You’re always going to have room to improve.”

Bucs Still Have Some Question Marks At Tight End Position

Cade Otton’s fellow third-year tight end is Ko Kieft, who at this point is more of a fullback than he is a tight end. He made one catch last season, but it was for a touchdown. Kieft doesn’t have good hands, and the fact that his best trait is blocking for running game that has been last in the league over previous two seasons, that’s usually not a good sign.

Kieft is not guaranteed to make the roster this year out of training camp. A lot of this hinges on the growth and development of second-year tight end Payne Durham. We didn’t see too much of Durham as a rookie. He played in 13 games and made five catches for 58 yards.

Durham played in less than nine snaps per game, so his opportunities in the passing game were limited. He certainly needs to fill out and add some size and strength in the offseason, but Durham has some value in the red zone as a receiver, though he – much like everyone else in the tight end room – needs to improve in blocking.

That’s also a concern of the rookie Devin Culp. He wasn’t even the first tight end option at Washington. Outside of his speed he’s going to have to provide a benefit in another area. Listed at 231 pounds, Culp is too light to be blocker, so his primary contribution will have to be as a receiver.

Relying on just one tight end on the field instead of two will help mask the unit’s deficiencies in Coen’s offense. And the good news is these tight ends will have plenty of time to figure it out before the season starts. They’ll be heading into the 2024 season very young once again, so it should be interesting to see how new tight ends coach Justin Peelle can improve the unit.

“They are young,” Peelle said. “The thing is that Cade’s played a lot of ball in his first two years. Ko’s played a decent amount as well. But they are young and they’re still learning, which is fun. They’re eager, they’re soaking up everything. So far it’s been a fun group to be around.”