When tight end Cade Otton first joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a fourth-round draft pick in 2022, he had a specific initial goal in mind. Otton wanted to show the Buccaneers' coaching staff that he could be trusted as a blocker first, which he figured would be the best way to be on the field. After that, the receiving opportunities would come.
Otton's strategy was a good one. The 2022 Buccaneers also had tight ends Cam Brate and Kyle Rudolph on the roster, plus Otton's fellow rookie Ko Kieft, but the former Washington standout earned a starting spot quickly and ended up playing 70% of the team's offensive snaps. That proved to be just a warmup, as in 2023 Otton was on the field for a stunning 97% of the Bucs' offensive plays, easily the highest percentage by any tight end in the league. He was a useful player in the passing game, too, producing 47 receptions for 455 yards and four touchdowns.
Things could have gone on in that manner indefinitely, and for a while in Otton's third season they did. Wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin continued to be the center of the Bucs' passing attack, and while Otton had a nice rapport with quarterback Baker Mayfield there were only so many targets to go around. In addition, the Bucs' run game was humming in a way it hadn't in years so Otton's blocking was at least as valuable as his route-running.
Then Evans and Godwin suffered significant injuries in Week Seven and the perhaps inevitable evolution of Otton's career was accelerated. Suddenly, he was Mayfield's go-to guy and the targets were coming at a rapid pace. Over the past three games, including the one in which Evans and Godwin got hurt, Otton has been targeted 31 times and has turned those passes into 25 catches for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
"He's got a knack for the game – he just knows the game," said Liam Coen, the Buccaneers' first-year offensive coordinator. "He has a great feel. So many of those guys would just say that he's a football player. That's Cade and you can't say that about everybody. He just has that ability. Sometimes people look at that as a knock – maybe they're not as fast or as quick or as strong or can jump as high. Being a football player is a darn good thing and that's what he is. He's tough as nails, he's smart as heck, and I'd love for my son to grow up to be Cade Otton. That's the kind of guy that he is."
Coen has gradually discovered that Otton is capable of running all the branches of the route tree. He's taken on some Godwin-type plays, such as out-breaking routes along the line to gain on third down, and some Evans-type plays, like seam routes where he snares the ball in traffic. Turns out these things were already in Otton's wheelhouse; he just needed an opportunity to show what he could do.
"It's really been his route-running," said Head Coach Todd Bowles. "Not that he couldn't do it – I don't think we asked him to do it because we had the other guys out there doing it. So, just asking him to step up more in a receiver role, you really see his route-running prowess and his precision."
Unsurprisingly, Otton is still playing almost every down. As he has helped fill the void left by Evans and Godwin, he has also continued to perform well in the more down-and-dirty elements of his position. So far, Otton has been on the field for 93% of the Bucs' offensive snaps in 2024, the most by any of the team's skill-position players.
"He's out there every time," said Coen. "We try to get him a blow, but we're also designing, getting him involved a lot more. It's a great thing for him, for me, for our offense to know that we've got another guy we can rely on to make plays. He's gaining a ton of confidence. I don't know where he stands with his career and where he's been at in normal years – I don't know – but I have to believe he's probably feeling pretty good about where he's at right now and the way he's playing."
Coen is probably right, but it's not easy to get Otton to acknowledge that, as he generally steers conversations away from his own achievements. He credited the whole group of pass-catchers for stepping up after the Evans and Godwin injuries, not just himself. He acknowledged that he would appreciate Pro Bowl recognition at the end of the season but made it clear that was far from the top thing on his mind. And he would trade any of his catches or touchdowns for a team win.
"I don't [track them] too much, and I know my production has been up the past few weeks," said Otton. "But the biggest thing I go back to is the win-loss column, and I'm definitely not satisfied with where we've been the last three weeks. Like I said, we're going to do anything we can to change that around. If my production goes down and we win, I'll be much happier."
