Cam Brate: Cade Otton
Throughout the 2024 season, Cade Otton has been on the field for 92% of the team's offensive snaps. The well-rounded tight end is adept at both blocking and at generating separation to exploit soft spots in zone as a threat underneath. Against the Falcons in Week Eight, Otton had an impactful outing. He hauled in a career-high nine receptions for 81 receiving yards and a career-high-tying two touchdown receptions. Otton established career highs in receptions for the second straight week after he brought in eight catches in Week 7 against the Ravens. It marked the second time in Otton's career that he brought in multiple receiving touchdowns, joining Week Nine of the 2023 season at Houston.
To help supplement the absence of Chris Godwin's production, Otton ran a wide variety of receiver routes with precision, including choice, out and corner routes. He changed the tempo of his routes and baited corners with leverage to sustain drives for Tampa Bay. Otton became the go-to target on third-down and spearheaded the offensive attack. He also sealed off the edge and created seams for rushers in zone schemes to elevate the ground game.
"What is most impressive is Cade never comes off the field and that is crazy," stated former Bucs' tight end Cam Brate. "There is really – besides maybe George [Kittle] in San Francisco – you have a blocking tight end, and you have a receiving tight end and then you find some sort of combination to not make it obvious that you are passing or running when you have them on the field. Really no one does what Cade does. That is just so impressive to me because it is two fundamentally different skillsets, and it is really hard to find someone that can do both well."
Bryan McClendon: Rakim Jarrett
Rakim Jarrett concluded the Week Eight matchup with 58 yards on three receptions. He became a chain-mover in the fourth quarter, including a 20-yard gain off a play-action dart from Baker Mayfield. On the final drive with no timeouts, Jarrett made a chunk play down the middle on a dig route and Mayfield put the ball right on his back shoulder-pad for a gain of 19 yards. That play set up the Hail Mary attempt with six seconds left in regulation. Jarrett, who made his return after seven weeks of unavailability and a stint on injured reserve, made a mark against the Falcons. With the loss of Chris Godwin (dislocated ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring, return after bye week), the Bucs took a collective approach to help fill the void. Jarrett made the active roster last year as an undrafted rookie and had accumulated four catches for 60 yards in 10 games played.
In 2024, he was once again derailed by a knee injury that caused him to miss the majority of the preseason and he began the regular season on injured reserve. Jarrett had surgery to repair his knee and spent the previous two months in rehab. On the gridiron against Atlanta, Jarrett helped solidify the Bucs' offensive arsenal.
"He has been hurt by nagging injuries last year and a little bit this year, so we were hoping he could come back in and pick up where he left off at and he has shown that he is able to do that," said Wide Receiver Coach Bryan McClendon. "We did not want to go out there and overload him too and go from 0 to 100 in a week, so we just made sure that we were smart with him in phasing him back in. I was really excited about him, and I remember when I was in college and I was recruiting him and obviously I did not get him, but I knew about his talent and his ability for a long time. So, to be able to coach him and to continue to bring him along in his development, I am excited about that…He is a very competitive guy. He does a really good job of judging and tracking the ball on some of those deep balls, and he has a really good knack for making plays with the ball in his hands also, which that is something that you cannot coach."
