By: Jake Rajala

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will not have the greek god-like TE Robert Gronkowski, but they still have talent left at the TE spot. The starting TE is none other than the veteran Cameron Brate. He hasn’t been very involved in recent memory, but he did have a modest 660 receiving yds and 8 touchdowns in 2016. He also notched six touchdowns in 2017 and six touchdowns in 2018. He only unleashed four touchdowns in 2021, but he also only had 50 targets, while Gronkowski registered 89 targets. He’s certainly capable of being a go-to target and red-zone threat as the TE1 in the Bucs offense moving forward. The 31-year-old TE will be a FA in 2024.

Cade Otton (fourth-round pick in 2021) could be an x-factor in the Bucs offense moving forward. Per NFL.com, a scouting director for an NFC team stated, “I think he is the best I’ve seen so far (in 2021), at just getting himself open with his routes. That is really a big deal for me when I watch tight ends”. It’s safe to say that he is can find gold with excellent match-ups and having Tom Brady as his QB.

The Bucs have a second TE rookie in their midst in Ko Kieft – as he was a Big Ten honorable mention last season. He offers quality run-blocking ability in part to his modest pass-catching ability. He should have a unique role in the Bucs offense next season. The fourth TE is Codey McElroy – who has 30 career receiving yards at this point.

It’s clear that the Bucs have a rare combination of experience (with Brate) and youth (with Otton and Kieft) at their TE position. With that said, it could still be wise for the Bucs to bring in another veteran TE. There are a few modest free agent tight ends available, such as Jimmy Graham, Eric Ebron, and Kyle Rudolph.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may not have Gronk, but they still have Tom Brady and a lot of confidence entering the 2022 season. If they want to win their second Super Bowl in three years, I believe they will still need unheralded profiles to shine. With that said, I’m going to simply untwine three underrated players that could take the next step.

Cameron Brate

The pressure is absolutely on the former Harvard man Cameron Brate after Gronk retired. Brate hauled in four touchdowns as the TE2 last season, but he could certainly have his sights set on 10+ touchdowns in his new role in 2022. The Bucs also don’t have AB (62 targets in 7 games a season ago). I believe the Bucs TE that has two years remaining on his contract could have career-high numbers in many categories next season.

Jamel Dean

The Bucs CB Jamel Dean could be the x-factor in each of the Bucs pivotal clashes against the Saints. Dean has been a modest CB — as PFF gave him a 74.5-grade last season. At one point in the 2020 season, he was graded as the best CB by PFF. The Bucs have a lethal front seven, but they desperately need the young CB to be consistently dominant moving forward.

Ryan Succop

The Bucs kicker Ryan Succop wasn’t an overly sexy kicker last season (83.3%), but he was certainly clutch. He made a nice game-winning field goal in Week 1 – after Brady made a beautiful drive. Succop had a 90.3 FG% in 2020, so he’s certainly capable of being a high-end kicker. The Bucs may have Brady, but they will need their talented kicker to have a 2022 campaign that is similar to his 2020 season.

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