Cade Otton, who signed a three-year extension worth $30 million in March, has been the Bucs’ iron man the past two seasons, playing nearly 93% of the offensive snaps.
It’s a statistic so absurd it appears to be a mistake. Cade Otton had 59 receptions last season, second most on the team.
The Bucs’ other tight ends, Payne Durham and Devin Culp, had one catch each. That’s as many as left tackle Tristan Wirfs, who, like Culp, made his only reception in the end zone.
That doesn’t include Ko Kieft, who broke a leg in a Week 3 win against the Jets and did not record a catch.
Otton signed a three-year contract extension worth $30 million in March. For the past two seasons, he’s been the Bucs’ iron man, rarely coming off the field. And it hasn’t really been a problem, because Otton has embraced the dirty work — serving as an in-line blocker, an extra pass protector and a dependable underneath target while playing nearly 93% of the offensive snaps.
So what are the Bucs expected to do with their tight ends this season under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson? Furthermore, did it make sense to use a sixth-round pick on LSU tight end Bauer Sharp, a converted quarterback?
With Robinson taking over, Otton’s workload could potentially change.
Robinson leaned heavily on two tight end personnel in Atlanta, deploying 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends) on 38% of the Falcons’ offensive snaps last season, one of the highest rates in the NFL. The question is whether that approach is realistic in Tampa Bay, when you consider its stockpile of wide receivers and desire to keep playmakers on the field.
The Bucs drafted LSU tight end Bauer Sharp, a former quarterback, in the sixth round. "You love the tenacity he plays with," said new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson. "He plays with an edge." [ PETER FOREST | AP, 2025 ]
“Starting with Cade, he does a lot for us,” tight ends coach Justin Peelle said. “And yeah, maybe the numbers aren’t up there amongst the top ones, but he does a lot of things for us that I think a lot of people don’t realize. He’s good in the run game, obviously. We’ve had some injuries at the tackle position, so we had to do some different things with him to protect those edges. And, you know, he’s an unselfish player, a team leader. Does a lot for this team that goes unrecognized. He doesn’t say anything about it, either. That’s just the way he is.”
As for the other tight ends?
“It was just the way it went last year, you know?” Peelle said. “Right, wrong or indifferent, those opportunities didn’t come our way. But that’s what I do love about this room. They’re a very unselfish group. They’ll do whatever they’re asked to do. They don’t say anything. They don’t complain. They’re just trying to help win ballgames, and that’s what those guys did last year.”
Robinson knows he has lots of options if he decides to call a tight end package. It’s more likely that two will get to line up on the same play, and he would like to give Otton a breather.
“You love the tight end packages you can have with both those guys,” Robinson said of Otton and Durham. “Payne has been a guy that, when you throw on the tape, you see the physicality as a blocker and everything that’s thrown to him, he’s making plays as well. He hasn’t had many opportunities.
“Bauer was somebody our personnel guys kind of raised up sometime around February, and you start watching him and you see his journey and knowing the quarterback position, and he’s transitioning into that tight end role. You love the tenacity he plays with. He plays with an edge. He can run. He has some athleticism, and he’s got some toughness at the line of scrimmage.”
Bucs tight end Payne Durham gains yards after a catch during a game against the Arizona Cardinals last November in Tampa. It was Durham's only reception of the season. [ JEFFEREE WOO | Times, 2025 ]
Sharp had a combined 66 receptions for 576 yards and four touchdowns over the past two seasons while playing at Oklahoma and LSU. He has a good understanding of coverage as a former quarterback.
“Football is football,” Sharp said. “You know, you’ve got to put your head down. It’s kill or be killed out there. That’s what it is. My ultimate (goal) is to earn the respect of teammates, but we’re going to play ball.”
The problem is that the Bucs are so stacked at receiver, with Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson and rookie Ted Hurst, that they may opt to play one tight end and three receivers most of the year.
Nonetheless, Robinson has more options in the tight end room, and he may not be as hesitant to use them, given his success in Atlanta.
“Cade and Payne, they’ve had real good careers to this point, and they’ll just continue to progress," he said. “And then Bauer is a guy who brings a unique skill set with some versatility. He lined up everywhere at LSU. He lined up in the backfield. He was a tight end out wide ... so there’s some good versatility within that room.”
All he has to do is play them.
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