What does the Bucs’ tight end group look like heading into training camp?
The tight end position in Tampa Bay has been a bit of an afterthought since the retirement of Rob Gronkowski in 2022, devoting few resources to the position over the last few years. This year’s training camp will be the first in several years where the group will be comprised mostly of experienced players and will rely on growth and consistency rather than new talent.
This will be Cade Otton’s third year with the Bucs and once again he will be the workhorse of the tight end group. Last year he dominated the snap shares in the group, playing 1063 snaps against 383 from the rest of the Bucs’ tight ends.
Though his receiving stats are not gaudy and he is just an adequate blocker, Tampa Bay’s coaching staff trusts Otton to play a part in every aspect of the offense. Despite having just two seasons under his belt, Otton will be a veteran presence at camp.
Fellow 2022 draft pick Ko Kieft has not been a featured player since joining the Bucs roster, operating mostly as a run blocker when he does see the field. Of all the returning tight ends, his future is most in doubt, though not from team design.
Kieft was the only player that head coach Todd Bowles indicated may not be healthy at the start of training camp. Kieft’s experience will buy him some goodwill from the Bucs’ staff, but his limited utility could make him expendable if his health issues linger.
The returning tight end with some unrealized upside is Payne Durham. The Bucs’ 2023 fifth-round pick has more prototypical size for a tight end than anyone else on the roster, which made him a big target for Baker Mayfield at times last season.
However, Durham struggled with drops, a major concern given his limited opportunities. If he is going to loosen Otton’s grip on the tight end reps in Tampa Bay, Durham has earn the confidence of Mayfield and the Bucs coaching staff with sure hands.
The Bucs did add one tight end this offseason, taking Washington TE Devin Culp with their last pick in the draft. Culp is built in the mold of modern tight ends. He is smaller at 6’3″ and 231 pounds but supremely athletic for his size, recording the top 40 time among tight ends at this year’s NFL Combine.
Buried on Washington’s depth chart behind a cavalcade of now-NFL receivers like teammate Jalen McMillan, Culp had few opportunities to express his talent as a receiver before now. Culp will be among a handful of young players vying to establish himself as a dynamic and reliable target in the Bucs offense.
Like most rookies, Culp’s path to the final roster will be special teams, which he did play at Washington. While he is unlikely to crack the Bucs’ tight end rotation this year, Culp could make the investment worthwhile if he can make it through camp and earn a roster spot by the end of camp.
At the tail of the tight end depth chart are David Wells and Tanner Taula. Wells was a surprising standout at last year’s training camp, so much so that he managed to spend some time on the main roster during the season. However he is entering his seventh NFL season and comes with no real upside.
Taula also had a good camp last year, earning him a place on the practice squad. Unless he makes a major leap forward as a receiver, he is likely to be in a similar position by the end of camp this year.
