The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have selected at least one tight end in each of the last three drafts, but none earlier than the fourth round. The run started in 2022 when the Buccaneers tabbed Washington tight end Cade Otton in the fourth round, then doubled up with Minnesota's Ko Kieft two rounds later. In 2023, with Cam Brate retiring, the Bucs went back to the well in the fifth round to get Purdue's Payne Durham. Finally, this past spring the team utilized a seventh-rounder on another Washington product, Devin Culp.
Kieft has been used primarily as a blocker, including sometimes in the backfield, and has filled that role well. The other three are all season as potential impact players in the passing game and, in the cases of Otton and Durham, true "Y" tight ends who can help both blocking and running routes.
Despite waiting until the third day of the draft to completely restock that position, it appears possible the Bucs have found multiple long-term contributors. Otton, in his third year, has essentially already proved he is in that category; he is the team's second-leading pass-catcher despite missing the past two games with a knee injury, hauling in 59 passes for 600 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. And he plays a higher percentage of his team's offensive snaps than any other tight end in the league because the Bucs' coaching staff so thoroughly trusts his work as a blocker.
As mentioned, however, Otton has been out with a knee injury for the past two games, forcing the Bucs to reshape their roles for Durham and Otton. Durham, who had been on the field for about 25-30 offensive plays per game in two-TE sets with Otton, moved up into the every-down role in Week 16 in Dallas. He played 63 of a possible 70 snaps and caught a career-high five passes.
Culp, however, only got into the Dallas game on three offensive snaps. He was active for a game for just the third time in his rookie season but the Buccaneers didn't have any real work dialed up for him in the offense yet. That changed this past Sunday against Carolina. Culp drew 20 snaps, as did Kieft, while Durham got in on 59 plays, the most for anyone on offense besides the offensive linemen and Baker Mayfield.
The results were encouraging, as Mayfield still managed to draw production out of the tight end position in the absence of his usual security blanket in Otton. Culp and Durham combined for five catches, 88 yards and a touchdown to help Mayfield roll up 359 yards and five touchdowns in a 48-14 blowout of the Panthers. Head Coach Todd Bowles was pleased their combined contributions.
"Payne has been tough, he just hasn't had a chance to get the balls because Cade has been getting them, but he's been a good player for us," said Bowles. "We thought he was going to be a very good player. Devin getting his first action, really, on that side of the ball this year, it was really very great to see him play some meaningful football and make some great catches and act like he's been there before. He took advantage of his opportunities, he stayed in his notebook, he practiced. Coach [Justin] Peelle did a great job getting him ready and he took advantage of it."
Durham's big play was a 31-yard seam route on the Bucs' first drive, a career-long, that took the ball down to the two-yard line to set up a touchdown pass to Mike Evans. Mayfield indicated after the game that the second-year tight end had made a good adjustment to an unexpected coverage choice by the Panthers.
"We didn't exactly practice against that look, [we] expected them to be in a single-high coverage but Payne did a good job taking he middle of the field and making the play," said Mayfield, who couldn't resist throwing in a friendly jab at the end. "If he was a little bit faster, he would've scored."
Culp, who hadn't been targeted in any of his other brief excursions on the field this season, made this two biggest plays on the Bucs' second drive, helping set up a Chase McLaughlin field goal. First he caught an intermediate-range pass near the right sideline and added on some yards after the catch for a gain of 26 yards on his first career reception. Three plays later he converted a third-and-seven at the Carolina 19 with a 17-yard grap that once again put the ball at Carolina's two-yard line.
The Buccaneers used a draft pick on Culp despite middling production at Washington (in 15 games in 2023 he had 16 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns), because they liked his combination of size, speed and open-field moves. Bowles said Culp is the most athletic of the Bucs' current crop of tight ends, and that was on display early in Sunday's game, which he finished with three catches for 52 yards.
"Devin is obviously extremely talented in the pass game," said Mayfield. "He's able to catch the ball, he's a little bit explosive so it was good to get him involved –the reason why (Otton's injury), not exactly – but it's good to see him play well."
The Buccaneers only have one regular-season game left, and then hopefully a handful more in the playoffs, and Otton could possibly return to action this week. There may not be enough opportunities remaining this season for Durham or Culp to completely cement their long-term roles with the team, but the returns from Sunday were encouraging that they may do so in the seasons to come.
