Bucs TE Otton’s TD Catch Could Save Season

It was crucial for the Bucs to walk out of Raymond James Stadium Sunday evening with a win as they will head to Munich, Germany next weekend against the Seahawks. Their 16-13 win over the Rams was anything but easy, as the offense struggled for much of the game before coming alive late on their final drive. The biggest part of that drive was rookie tight end Cade Otton making the game-winning TD catch with nine seconds left in the game.

What a time for Otton to make his first touchdown grab. This is a catch that will affect the Bucs for the rest of the season. If they had lost this game, they would have fallen to 3-6, having lost six of seven games. Calls to fire head coach Todd Bowles and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich would have only grown louder.

Instead, they have life and a division lead in the NFC South. If they were to beat the Seahawks next Sunday, they would even get back up to .500 at 5-5 with seven games left to turn the tide and right the ship.

Otton “Developing Into A Good Pro” For Bucs

It is thanks to Otton that they were able to make this happen. As the season has progressed, he has become the team’s defacto starting tight end with Cameron Brate injured and Kyle Rudolph past the point of being an option. Speaking on Otton, coach Todd Bowles already sees him making strides.

Bucs QB Tom Brady and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

“Cade has been huge the past couple weeks, just blocking, making quality catches, making timely catches, and the game not being too big for him,” Bowles said in his postgame press conference. “I think he had one of those catches in preseason as well and it came right back to him and he is developing into a good pro early in his career.”

For Otton, it is evident that on offense quarterback Tom Brady has trusted in him more as the weeks have gone by. Since his Week 5 showing against the Falcons where he received 94% of the offensive snaps, his share and volume have continued to be consistent in the passing game. He has proven to be a steal for the Bucs as a fourth- round selection, something that we recently graded in our midseason rookie report card.

Among his rookie tight end peers, he is ahead of them in most statistics and metrics. He added to those numbers against the Rams with five receptions, a new career-high 68 yards, and his first touchdown. It is not often that rookie tight ends come along and make an impact, but Brady has a way of making that happen (cough, cough Rob Gronkowski).

Breaking that down further, Otton’s strengths are well-documented. As Pewter Report’s own Josh Queipo mentioned back in May while breaking down his college tape, that is Otton’s ability to get yards after the catch and make contested catches. Often this season, he has moved the chains on crucial third downs and been one of the few options up the middle for Brady to turn to with injuries plaguing the Bucs receiving corps.

In the locker room following the game, Otton remained coy in his responses and is already looking ahead to the next game.

“Just wanted the result, just wanted to get the win,” Otton said on his game-winning touchdown. “Just so happy right now for our guys and for the team to get this win and look forward to the next one.”

Otton’s First Bucs Touchdown Carries Added Meaning

After crossing the end zone for his first NFL touchdown, plenty of emotions can also cross a player’s mind. For Otton, he mentioned that his mother Sally, who passed away in September, crossed his. After Sunday’s game, he reflected on her loss in a touching way.

“Obviously I miss my mom and [thought] about her right away, but I’d know she’d be so proud of me,” Otton said. “Just so happy to do this and that she got to watch me do it.”

“We All Believe In Each Other”

Bucs OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

As the Bucs bask in getting back into the win column, it is clear that this game needs to be a stepping stone. It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t pretty, heck, it wasn’t even enjoyable to watch (unless you like punting).

If anything, the Bucs can use this game to build trust in each other on both sides of the ball, knowing that together, they can come away with wins. Otton echoed this sentiment in the locker room perfectly.

“We all believe in him [Brady], and we all believe in each other, and despite the results on offense this season, we still believed, and when it came down to it and mattered most, we were able to get it done,” Otton said.

For an upcoming schedule that offers an international trip and a much-needed bye week, there will be plenty of time to travel, bond, and reflect upon their play as they gear up for what will be an interesting second half of the 2022 campaign.