Bucs Rule Out Starter, Elevate Another For Week 16

The Bucs will be without another key starter for Sunday night’s primetime matchup against the Cowboys, as the team announced Saturday afternoon that it has ruled tight end Cade Otton out due to a knee injury.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

It’s a tough blow for the Tampa Bay offense, especially considering Otton’s involvement in the offense since midseason. Even with his production dipping back down after Mike Evans’ return after the bye, the third-year tight end has 59 catches for 600 yards (10.2 avg.) and four touchdowns this year — all career highs.

Otton’s improvement as a blocker has been a huge part of the resurgence of the Bucs’ run game this season, as Pewter Report’s Josh Queipo outlined earlier Saturday. Here’s some of what Queipo had to say about Otton’s contributions in Tampa Bay’s rushing attack:

“In short, Otton’s improvement this year has been in just about every facet of the game, both obvious and non-obvious,” Queipo wrote. “And if he is absent on Sunday it could have a real impact on how the Bucs run the ball.”

So, what happens with Tampa Bay’s run game, which is set to face a Dallas defense that ranks among the league’s worst against the run despite making some improvement in recent weeks? Queipo went on to explain what offensive coordinator Liam Coen may do with tight end Payne Durham, who will step into Otton’s starting spot.

Bucs TEs Payne Durham and Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“This is all to say there is a good chance that if Cade Otton can’t go on Sunday night in Dallas the Bucs may make some tweaks to how they run the football. That’s not to say they will be less successful, mind you,” Queipo wrote. “But in thinking through the pros and cons of Payne Durham’s skillset as a blocker, if Coen were to remain true to his “players over plays” mantra then he may stick with the team’s successful gap system, but adjust what type of gap plays they run.

“To maximize Durham’s skillset the Bucs will likely motion him in split flow or as a wrapper less, and ask him to base block, seal the strong side edge or double team more. That most likely means more duo blocks. It also means the team can still run counter trey that worked so well against the Chargers last week.”

You can read Josh Queipo’s full deep dive here, with analysis on Otton’s improvements as a blocker, as well as Durham’s strengths and what Tampa Bay may look to do with its ground game on Sunday night.

Bucs Elevate Punter For A Third Time

Bucs P Jack Browning – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In addition to downgrading Cade Otton for Sunday’s game, the Bucs also announced that they have elevated punter Jack Browning from the practice squad for a third week in a row.

Browning wasn’t all that busy in last Sunday’s win over the Chargers, as the Bucs didn’t punt once. He does handle the kickoff duties for Tampa Bay, though, so it’s not as if he had the whole afternoon and evening off in Los Angeles.

In his Buccaneer debut the previous week, Browning punted three times for a gross average of 42.7 yards.

Browning is the Bucs’ third punter this season, following Jake Camarda and Trenton Gill. With this being his third elevation from the practice squad, he has reached the limit. If Tampa Bay wants to keep him around for Week 17 and beyond, it will have to sign him to the active roster.

Whether Sunday night will be Browning’s last audition to make his case to stick around or the team has already seen enough remains to be seen. 

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