Cade Otton Leads NFL’s Youngest TE Group

The Bucs are not only counting on Cade Otton to step up and be the team’s full-time starter at tight end this year, they’re also expecting him to step in as a veteran leader.

It’s an odd request for a player who just turned 24 and is coming off a slightly above average rookie season. But with the team parting ways with long-time veteran Cam Brate and not re-signing veteran Kyle Rudolph, Otton will have the most experience of any of Tampa Bay’s tight ends in 2023.

In fact, the Bucs will field the youngest group of tight ends in the NFL this year. Tampa Bay has six tight ends on the roster with newcomer David Wells, who is entering his third year, the oldest at age 28. But Wells has yet to catch his first pass in the NFL.

He is one of three tight ends vying for the fourth spot on the depth chart behind Otton, Ko Kieft (25) and Payne Durham (22), the team’s fifth-round pick. Wells is battling Dominique Dafney (25) and undrafted free agent Tanner Taula (25) for the final roster spot.

“It feels really weird you know – these rookies coming in it,” Otton said. “It feels like I’m just the same as them. But I’m super lucky last year to have guys like Kyle and Cam to show me the ropes and how things are done, and how to be a pro. Just great guys and great players. So I just want to do what I can to emulate them and keep building on last year and be the best. I don’t know if I’m a mentor it’s only my second year but just be the best example I can be from what I’ve learned.”

Bucs Hope Cade Otton, Payne Durham Form A 1-2 Punch At Tight End

Purdue TE Payne Durham Photo By: USA Today

Cade Otton, last year’s fourth-round pick, led the Bucs tight ends in catches (42), yards (391) and touchdowns (two). Kieft, a sixth-round pick in last year’s draft, contributed seven catches for 80 yards and one touchdown as a blocking specialist and core special teamer.

The Bucs are high on Durham, who had 21 career touchdowns at Purdue, including eight last season, while hauling in 56 passes for 560 yards (10 avg.). The hope is that Otton and Durham can provide Tampa Bay with a potent one-two punch as receiving tight ends in Dave Canales’ new offense.

“[It’s] definitely a young group for sure and they did a fantastic job last year,” Bucs tight ends coach John Van Dam said. “I was really proud of how they played and prepared. It’s tough to go play an NFL season, with a playoff game … that’s what I tell all of these rookies – you go from the draft, and they’re prepping for the draft, they’re doing all of this work since their season. Then they come into rookie camp like they are next week, rocking and rolling in rookie camp with install. Then in the summer, they’re sticking around learning the playbook and training with our guys.

“Then you get a full season. It’s like year to year. After this season, Cade was like, ‘Phew.’ He could finally take a deep breath and hangout with his wife and get to know Tampa a little bit. But, I’m excited about Payne. Payne is a really talented player and I think his best football is ahead of him. Payne is an attention-to-detail guy. I’m really excited to have him as part of our room. We’ve got a great group of guys and I think he will add a ton of value to us, as well.”

Cade Otton Looks To Get Plenty Of Opportunities In Dave Canales’ Passing Game

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

Cade Otton, who will be learning his second offensive scheme in as many years, is excited about the opportunities to catch the ball in Canales’ new system, which comes from Seattle and features a lot of QB rollouts, bootlegs and waggles with the tight ends getting a decent amount of targets.

“I think it’s a really good opportunity for us to get the ball in our hands,” Otton said. “I think easy completions is a big thing in this offense – making it easy on the quarterback. Then for us tight ends, getting the ball early in the down and trying to make plays down the field. So that’s a really exciting opportunity for us. You know the they’re going to give us opportunities to do it, and then it is up to us to make the play and earn trust from the quarterbacks and the coaches.”

The Seahawks tight ends were led by Noah Fant’s 50 catches for 486 yards and four touchdowns last season. Backups Will Dissly (34-349-3), Colby Parkinson (25-322-2) and Tyler Mabry (1-7-1) helped Seattle’s tight ends combine for 10 touchdowns last season. Tampa Bay’s tight ends only combined for four scores in 2022 by comparison, but one of those was the game-winner by Otton against the Rams.

“I ultimately want to be an every-down tight end just never come off the field,” Otton said. “Be a big contributor in the run game and in the pass game. And have the coaches be able to trust me on the front side of run plays to take care of our defensive ends, and also to win one-on-one versus safeties.

“You’ve seen some of the greats do that like Gronk (Rob Gronkowski) and Travis [Kelce] and George [Kittle]. I just want to look at the greats in the game and try and emulate [my game] after them.”

Not only does Otton want to lead the Bucs tight ends in catches, yards and touchdowns again, but also become the leader of a very young tight end room.