Tag: Cade Otton

WATCH: Bucs TE Cade Otton makes ridiculous 1-handed catch at practice

Check out this amazing one-handed catch from Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have an unsung hero at tight end heading into the 2024 NFL season, as Cade Otton could be primed for a breakout year in his third campaign in the pros.

Otton has already shown a penchant for making big plays in clutch moments, and now, he’s showing off his athleticism and hands during the Bucs’ recent mandatory minicamp.

Watch the video above to see the ridiculous one-handed catch Otton made during practice earlier this month.

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Bucs TE Cade Otton gets ‘new dad’ advice from QB Baker Mayfield

See what advice Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield gave teammate Cade Otton as he prepares to become a new dad

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield recently became a dad, welcoming a new baby girl into the world with his wife, Emily earlier this year.

He’s not the only one, either, as left tackle Tristan Wirfs and his girlfriend, Meredith Sutton, welcomed their son around the same time.

Tight end Cade Otton is next in line to become a new dad, and during his recent press conference during Tampa Bay’s first round of OTAs, he was asked if Mayfield has given him any sage advice about his new off-field role.

Here’s what he said on the matter, as well as how much he enjoys playing with so many former college teammates from Washington:

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Cade Otton brings valuable durability at TE for Bucs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a reliable presence at tight end with Cade Otton heading into his third season

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a quiet, unsung hero at tight end in Cade Otton, who has become a reliable presence at the top of the depth chart over his two seasons in the NFL.

A fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL draft out of Washington, Otton has steadily improved over the past two years, and could be on the verge of a breakout performance in this third campaign at the pro level.

“His durability has been outstanding,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles recently said of Otton. “We’ve called on him a lot as a rookie. It’s hard to believe he’s only a third-year guy coming up. His durability has been outstanding and he’s had different coordinators each year, so his ability to adapt and learn… He’s had different coaches, it’s not like he’s had the same position coach or had the same offensive coordinator. So, to learn different things and tweak his game to fit what we needed him to do is outstanding.”

Otton’s production hasn’t been the kind of stuff that fantasy football managers will rave about, but he’s made some key plays in clutch moments for the Bucs over his two seasons. That figures to continue in 2024, even as Tampa Bay breaks in a new offensive coordinator in Liam Coen.

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2024 Buccaneers offseason preview: Tight end

The Bucs’ tight end room could use some strengthening in the offseason, but will Tampa Bay bolster it with needs looming elsewhere?

No position group has received less attention on the Buccaneers roster in the past two years than the tight ends. With greater needs at other positions, that pattern is unlikely to change in 2024.

Since the departure of Rob Gronkowski at the end of the 2021 season, the Bucs have spent minimal free agent money and modest draft capital on tight ends. The addition of Kyle Rudolph in in 2022 was less than impactful, and veteran Cameron Brate was a shell of his former self. Both struggled to stay healthy enough to get on the field, much less make a difference on it.

When Tampa Bay drafted Cade Otton in the fourth round of the 2022 draft, he practically became their TE1 by default, taking 66% of the offensive snaps to Brate’s 29.2% and Rudolph’s 6.5%. Otton entered the 2023 season as the starter and was perfectly adequate, catching 60 of 86 targets for 610 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season and playoffs.

Unfortunately, “perfectly adequate” was the ceiling for the Bucs’ tight ends in 2023. Ko Kieft, also a 2022 Bucs draft pick, is not an NFL-caliber receiving option and 2023 fifth-round pick Payne Durham rarely ran a route. All three tight ends struggled in run support and were not often used as pass blockers.

There is little question the Bucs offense would benefit from an upgrade in tight end talent. The problem is the Bucs have too many other glaring needs to truly dedicate resources to improving the group.

This year’s rookie tight end class is thin from top to bottom. Georgia TE Brock Bowers is easily the best prospect in the class, but he will be long gone by the time the Bucs are on the clock late in the first round. Tampa Bay might have a shot at Texas TE Ja’Tavion Sanders or Ohio St. TE Cade Stover on Day 2 of the draft, but taking either would mean forgoing bigger needs and value at edge rusher, inside linebacker, safety and along the interior offensive line.

There are more options at tight end in free agency, but whether any of them represent a true upgrade is dubious. PFF’s Brad Spielberger named Patriots TE Mike Gesicki as a potential fit for Tampa Bay. However, Gesicki is notorious for being a “receiver-only” tight end. He adds nothing as a blocker which appears to be a driving factor for the tepid interest in his services.  Gesicki is two years removed from his best seasons with the Dolphins and was relegated to minimal roles in Mike McDaniels’ first season as head coach and with the Patriots last year.

If the Bucs entertain any free agents at all, they will likely target inexpensive value signings, a hallmark of Bucs general manager Jason Licht as of late. Former Broncos and Eagles TE Albert Okwuegbunam flashed in Denver in 2021, but injuries and team dysfunction derailed his career. He could be a low-cost, low-risk signing to reinforce Tampa Bay’s tight end depth.

Expectations for any significant moves at tight end in Tampa Bay should be low. Licht tends to value a draft and develop strategy over splashy free agent signings or blockbuster trades. Otton’s improvement as a receiver in 2023 will likely keep him the starter in 2024 while Kieft and Durham will get their own opportunities to prove their long-term viability. At most, a more or two at the fringes of the tight end depth chart will make for some training camp intrigue and preseason hype.

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Baker Mayfield must calm his rogue tendencies to have a chance against the Lions

If Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers are going to beat the Lions, Mayfield will have to stay within himself as he didn’t in Week 6.

Baker Mayfield is on his fourth NFL team since 2021, which is an odd place for a former No. 1 overall NFL pick to find himself just seven seasons into his NFL career. One reason Mayfield has traveled an arduous road from the Cleveland Browns to the Carolina Panthers to the Los Angeles Rams to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is the randomness of his play that can show up too often at the worst possible time. As great as Mayfield can be in the right situation with a coaching staff who can control his rogue tendencies, he’s a finely-tuned machine with a couple of oddly-placed springs, and you just have to live with it.

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales has done an outstanding job with that this season, which is a primary reason that the Bucs are in Detroit to play the Lions in the NFC divisional round. Canales has a lot

In that 20-6 Detroit win, Mayfield completed 19 of 37 passes for 206 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a passer rating of 56.8. It was probably his worst game of the season. Mayfield was frequently speeding up in the pocket whether he was hurried or not. He didn’t throw with good base fundamentals, and he threw off-platform more than he needed to, which led to a lot of incompletions against tight coverage. More worrisome were the incompletions in which his receivers had scalded Detroit’s defense. 

Mayfield had a wide-open shot to Trey Palmer with 2:00 left in the first half that he overthrew by a couple yards and would have been a touchdown if he’d stayed within himself. This was a deep over from the slot against Cover-4, and Palmer beat safety Kerby Joseph over the top. 

Mayfield did have defensive tackle Benito Jones pressuring him right when he threw the ball, but that’s a throw you need to make. Mayfield was pressured on 13 of his 41 dropbacks in that game, and he completed two of 10 passes for 17 yards and a sack.

This deep incompleton to receiver Chris Godwin on third-and-10 with 1:04 left in the game was one such negative example. The Lions ran a zone exchange out of Cover-4, and Mayfield was in shotgun with a 2×2 formation. The backside flat/post combination was a great design against this coverage, and Joseph was beaten again. With edge defender Julian Okwara dropping into coverage, Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn sent linebacker Derek Barnes and cornerback Will Harris on an overload pressure to the other side. Harris got through, and Mayfield threw a worm-burner to his target.

For the season, Mayfield has completed 81 of 165 passes for 1,035 yards, seven touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 78.2. So, it’s not as if he’s a complete disaster under pressure – this game was an oddity, but it presented most of the things about Mayfield that tend to give you pause. 

It’s now time for Mayfield to silence the doubters.

“When there are plays to be had, we have to take advantage of them,” Mayfield said this week. “It’s staying consistent – they play extremely hard. It just jumps out on film, obviously [with] the way [Lions head coach] Dan Campbell runs that team – everybody swarming to the ball, playing for each other, playing extremely hard with a lot of effort at all times. They’re a tough opponent and they make it hard on you.”

Mayfield will obviously have a better chance to advance to the NFC Championship round if he can avoid making it hard on himself.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys investigate the things that those around Mayfield have done to rein things in when necessary.

You can watch this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os,” featuring all the most important matchups of the divisional round, right here:

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You can also listen and subscribe to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Eagles eliminated from playoffs after 32-9 loss to Buccaneers

Eagles eliminated from playoffs after 32-9 loss to Buccaneers

The Eagles are set for a dramatic overhaul following the team’s shocking 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

Philadelphia was 0-11 on third and fourth downs combined, tallying 268 total yards on ten offensive drives in a sloppy affair that saw missed tackles and no answer for the Tampa blitz as the Eagles were held to 38 rushing yards on the night.

Baker Mayfield outplayed Jalen Hurts, going 22-36 passing for 337 yards, three touchdowns, and 0 interceptions with a 119 quarterback rating.

Rachaad White was strong on the ground, rushing 18 times for 62 yards on the night.

The Eagles will now head into an uncertain offseason, having lost six of the final seven games played, and an overhaul could include head coach Nick Sirianni with the likes of Jim Harbaugh, Bill Belichick, and others available after mass changes around the league.

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Eagles Twitter reacts to humiliating 32-9 loss to Buccaneers in wild-card round

We’re looking at the social media reaction from Philadelphia fans after the Eagles loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round

The Eagles are set for a dramatic overhaul, and there’s nobody safe outside of Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jalen Carter following the team’s shocking 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the NFC playoffs.

Philadelphia was 0-11 on third and fourth downs combined, tallying 268 total yards on ten offensive drives in a sloppy affair that saw missed tackles and no answer for the Tampa blitz as the Eagles were held to 38 rushing yards on the night.

With a long offseason set to begin, here’s how Twitter reacted to the madness.

Eagles vs. Bucs: 10 takeaways from first half as Tampa leads 16-9 in NFC wild card game

We’re looking at then takeaways from the first half as tthe Buccaneers hold a 16-9 lead over the Eagles in the NFC wild card game

The Eagles were nearly run out of Raymond James Stadium, but after some timely drops by the Buccaneers and a renewed effort on defense, they trailed 16-9 at halftime.

Julio Jones had three catches in the first half for 22 yards before exiting with a concussion, and Philadelphia held Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to a combined two catches for 30 yards on seven targets.

With the second half set to begin, we’re looking at takeaways from a hard-fought first half.

Eagles vs. Bucs inactives: Avonte Maddox to start at safety with Reed Blankenship ruled out

Reed Blankenship is among seven Eagles ruled out for Philadelphia’s wild card matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Eagles will be without two key starters for tonight’s NFC Wild Card Round game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after Reed Blankenship was ruled out with a groin injury.

Blankenship was listed as questionable, but after a light pregame workout, the talented safety will miss Monday’s matchup at Raymond James Stadium.

All-Pro wide receiver A.J. Brown will also be out with a knee injury suffered in the Week 18 loss to the Giants.

Jalen Hurts was a limited participant during Thursday’s practice before being upgraded to a full participant on Friday and Saturday.

Cornerback Darius Slay, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and D’Andre Swift were full participants in the final practice of the week and had no game status designations.

Eagles vs. Bucs wild card matchup: Who has the edge at each offensive position?

We’re looking at who has the edge at each position when the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an NFC Wild Card Game

The Eagles will face a familiar foe on the road when they travel to Tampa to face the 9-8 Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium without an injured A.J. Brown.

The most recent postseason meeting came just two years ago, in 2021, in Jalen Hurts’ first road playoff start; Tampa won 31-15.

With kickoff a little over eight hours away, we’re looking at who has the edge at each position on the offensive side of the football.