2025 Bucs Offseason Preview: Tight Ends

USA Today

13-02-2025

Since Rob Gronkowski retired in 2021, the Bucs' tight end position has appeared to be an afterthought. The emergence of Cade Otton in 2024 proved that notion to be erroneous.
Otton's 2024 stats were not necessarily gaudy for a starting NFL tight end. He only caught 61 passes for 632 yards and four touchdowns, all essentially on par from last season. The difference was Otton's efficiency and ability to gain yards. After averaging 0.94 yards per route run in 2023, he drastically improved in 2024, averaging 1.31 yards per route run per Pro Football Focus. He also forced 13 missed tackles as a receiver, the third most among tight ends.
Otton also continued his improvement as a blocker, particularly in the run game. He established himself as a viable three-down tight end, capable of leading the Bucs tight end room going forward. The Bucs could seek to extend him this offseason, though he still has one year left on his rookie deal.
Second-year TE Payne Durham improved as well, proving to be a capable backup when Otton missed the last three games of the season. Durham is not quite as reliable as Otton but he did prove to be a red zone weapon, catching a touchdown in each of his two starts at the end of the season.
Otton's fellow 2022 draftee Ko Kieft was used primarily as a run blocker. Rookie Devin Culp was inactive nearly the entire season until the last few weeks of the season when he flashed his receiving skills, converting for first downs on four of his five receptions in Week 18 and the Wild Card game.
The Bucs tight end group produced more than it has since Gronkowski was on the roster. This was a function of improvement of the players and the structure of the offense. With the Bucs offense due to change again with the departure of offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Tampa Bay cannot assume progress by the tight end group without examining possible talent upgrades.
According to Over the Cap, the Bucs have just $2.1 million in cap space for the 2025 season, so free agency is not a viable option to add new talent to the tight end room. The Bucs' front office under Jason Licht tends to make its big bets in the draft anyways, as it would for any key tight end additions this offseason.
Miami TE Elijah Arroyo broke out last year with Cam Ward leveraging his athleticism as a deep threat, averaging 17 yards per reception in 2024. Arroyo is not much of a blocker, but as a move tight end, he would be a definitive upgrade to the passing offense.
The Bucs could wait until Day 3 of the draft to take Utah TE Brant Kuithe. Though his size would limit him to a receiving role, Kuithe has the chops to be dangerous in the NFL. In 2024, he averaged 2.55 yards per route run and forced 14 missed tackles on 35 receptions.
With Cade Otton's emergence as a viable starting NFL tight end, the position is not likely to be a major priority for the Bucs this offseason. At best the Bucs could bring in competition for their existing depth, but for the foreseeable future, the tight end position belongs to Otton.