The Buccaneers made a clear bet on Cade Otton this spring.
Instead of letting him hit the market, Tampa Bay gave the tight end a new contract, even though multiple teams were reportedly interested in making him a centerpiece of their offense for 2026. That move says plenty about how the Bucs view him. They’ve already used him as a starter for a couple of seasons, and while the results have been uneven, there’s still enough belief in his upside to keep investing.
Otton’s case is simple enough: the tools are there. The question has always been whether he could put everything together.
Now he gets a chance to do it with Zac Robinson, one of the league’s better offensive coordinators when it comes to tight ends. Robinson helped coax a mini Kyle Pitts breakout out of a rough Atlanta Falcons passing attack late in the 2025 season, and Tampa Bay is hoping for similar growth from Otton.
There’s help coming behind him, but not much real pressure. Bauer Sharp arrives as a late-round rookie, not the kind of highly regarded prospect who’s going to threaten Otton’s job right away. That leaves Otton positioned to remain the lead tight end, with a bigger role within reach if he can finally take the next step.
Otton has already put a number out there for himself: 70 receptions. That would be a noticeable jump, even in a 17-game league, and it would put him in a range only a handful of tight ends reached last season. He has finished with exactly 59 catches in each of the past two years, so getting to 70 would mark a real shift in production.
The Bucs, though, need more than volume. They need Otton to be more efficient and more dangerous for Baker Mayfield when the field tightens in the red zone.
And the target pie is going to be crowded. Even without Mike Evans, there are plenty of mouths to feed, with Ted Hurst coming in as a rookie and Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, and Jalen McMillan all wanting their share.
Bauer Sharp adds another layer at tight end, too.
For Otton, the next step means turning that steady starter profile into something more impactful. If he can get to five touchdowns - he had just one last season - or start making plays that push him well beyond 10 yards per catch, that would give Tampa Bay a much better chance to get this offense rolling the way it wants in 2026.
In Other News...
Bucs Preseason QB Plan Suddenly Looks A Lot Less Certain
A quiet preseason week got a little more complicated for Tampa Bay when backup quarterback Jake Browning went down during a joint practice with the Jets. Browning appeared to suffer a lower back injury, left the field and was replaced by second-year quarterback Connor Bazelak, a development that immediately put some uncertainty around how the Buccaneers will handle the position in their first preseason game.
The timing matters because Tampa Bay had been working through its quarterback plan for the opener, and Brownings availability could shape how those reps are divided. If he cannot go, the Bucs may need to lean on Bazelak and Jalon Daniels to cover more of the work, which would turn a simple preseason tune-up into a more fluid evaluation period for the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Joint Practice Turned Ugly And Luke Goedeke Is Central
Joint practices are supposed to sharpen a team before the games start counting, but the Buccaneers and Jets managed to turn one into a full-on dustup. Tempers flared on the field between both sides during the session, with multiple scuffles breaking out as the two teams worked through camp reps and got a little too comfortable with the physical edge that often comes with August.
Luke Goedeke wound up right in the middle of the mess after a Jets interception by safety Jairus Monroe sparked a post-play confrontation, and another altercation later involving Jets defensive tackle Darrell Jackson and a Buccaneers offensive lineman pushed things far enough that the teams scrapped their second scheduled joint practice. For Tampa Bay, the episode leaves the usual training camp takeaway hanging over everything else: the line between competitive and chaotic got crossed quickly, and the details of how the Bucs handle the fallout will matter just as much as the next rep. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Depth Chart Just Sparked A Real Defensive Competition Debate
The Buccaneers first official depth chart ahead of their preseason opener against the Jets offered an early look at how the defense is being sorted out, and it came with a few eyebrow-raisers. First-round rookie Rueben Bain Jr. is the lone rookie listed with a starting spot, while Vita Vea remains penciled in as the starting nose tackle even after missing practices, a reminder that these early charts can say as much about expectations as they do about current availability.
SirVocea Dennis also shows up as the starting middle linebacker, a noteworthy call in a camp where Josiah Trotter has drawn attention with more splash plays. The secondary has its own intrigue, with Benjamin Morrison sitting as a second-string cornerback despite limited practice time because of injury, and J.J. Roberts listed behind the starters at safety even though he has not been on the field because of injury. The chart does not settle the competition, but it does make clear that several jobs remain very much in flux. [Read more 🡒]