Free Cade Otton
April 4th, 2026
Turn him loose!
Back when the Bucs drafted Cade Otton out of Washington, there were plenty of highlights of Otton stretching defenses.
Those have been rare since the Bucs made him their fourth-round pick in 2022. And there were so few explosive plays from Otton last year, the Joe typing this here post was ready for the Bucs to find another starter at tight end.
But that wasn’t completely fair. Otton ran the fourth-most routes among NFL tight ends last season, but he ranked 20th in target percentage for routes run. Former Bucs offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard didn’t priortize Otton in the passing game.
When Otton caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the final week of the season against Carolina, Joe thought, “Where has that been?”
After the season, Joe remembered Otton making a sweet 27-yard catch at Seattle when Baker Mayfield rolled to his left. Otton has shown he can stretch the defense. Why not use that?
Even former NFL safety and current Chicagoland high school coach Matt Bowen, typing for BSPN, can see the big-play ability in Otton.
He can also be targeted at the third level on seams and corners. Otton caught 59 passes in each of the past two seasons, combining for five touchdowns.
Hopefully, new Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson takes advantage of Otton’s downfield ability.
There are only so many defensive backs available to guard receivers downfield.
Free Cade Otton!
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