Buccaneers' Tight End Missing From Elite List
While some Tampa Bay Buccaneers players are finally starting to garner some national attention, others are not.
This offseason, we've seen the likes of Mike Evans, Bucky Irving, Tristan Wirfs, Baker Mayfield, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Jamel Dean honored on "best of" lists representing Tampa Bay.
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But as we peruse ESPN's top 10 tight ends in the NFL ahead of the 2025 season, there's no Bucs player to be found - no Cade Otton.
Is that deserved? Maybe.
Otton is good. He's good for the Bucs. But is he elite? Certainly an argument could be made that he's not. Especially with his history of drops.
Otton was a fourth-round pick by the Bucs in 2022 out of then-Pac-12 powerhouse Washington. He had an impressive rookie campaign with 391 yards and two touchdowns, but suffered from drops. He posted just 42 catches on 65 targets with five drops, leading all tight ends.
The next season wasn't much better, with three drops on 67 targets, and he got worse last season. In 2024, Otton posted 59 catches on 87 targets with 600 yards and four touchdowns but eight drops.
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If Otton can clean up his pass catching, he'd be a far more effective offensive tool for Mayfield and the Bucs.
In ProFootballFocus' rankings earlier this season, Otton was No. 20 overall, which actually sounds a little high, honestly.
"Otton's Achilles' heel is drops. He has the third most (11) at the position across the past two years. His 63.1 PFF receiving grade in 2024 was a career high and also marks the first time he generated more than 1 yard per route run (1.31). If he can hang on to the ball (also three fumbles the past two years), Otton has the skills to rise on this list."
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
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