The Tampa Bay Buccaneers should make it a priority to add a veteran tight end following Rob ... [+]
The 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers will look a tad bit less explosive compared to the 2021 version.
Following the announcement of Rob Gronkowski’s retirement, this year’s Buccaneers offense will not only be without arguably the greatest receiving tight end in NFL history, they’ll also be without Antonio Brown.
In other words, the 2022 Buccaneers will be without two of the best receiving weapons to enter the league since 2010. In addition to the loss of two of their top four receiving weapons, Tampa Bay could enter the season without Chris Godwin, who is still recovering from an ACL injury.
Make no mistake about it, the Buccaneers will be just fine. Tom Brady is back in the fold after his 40-day retirement and Tampa Bay plays in one of the worst divisions in football in the NFC South. Combined with the likelihood that the NFC won’t feature any powerhouse teams outside of the Los Angeles Rams, the Buccaneers won’t have any issue clinching a high seed for the playoffs.
However, the offense looks like its suddenly lacking firepower. And while one can expect Brady to maximize his weapons — as he has always done over his 20-plus years in the NFL — Tampa Bay needs to make a move to counteract Gronkowski’s retirement.
The Buccaneers will enter the season with veteran tight end Cameron Brate as the starting tight end with rookies Cade Otton and Ko Kieft projected as the backups. Brate has been a member of the Bucs since 2015. While he once served as a respectable starter for the team, that was long ago. The 30-year-old tight end hasn’t caught more than 36 passes or 311 yards in a single season since 2017.
During Gronkowski’s injury absence last season, Brate failed to impress. In fact, Brate’s 52.6% catch rate — catching just 30 of 57 targets — was the worst mark of any Buccaneers receiver with at least 13 targets last season.
In the five games Gronkowski missed, Brate posted a total of just seven receptions for 63 yards and one touchdown. He was targeted 18 times during that time frame, meaning he caught just 38.8% of his targets while filling in for Gronkowski.
Greg Auman of The Athletic noted that he expects Tampa Bay to add a veteran tight end to offset Gronkowski’s retirement.
“I expect the Bucs to add a veteran tight end to help offset Gronk's retirement,” said Auman on June 22.
There are no shortage of proven veteran options on the tight end market, with Kyle Rudolph, Jared Cook and Eric Ebron among the available candidates. Other less intriguing options include Jimmy Graham, Jesse James and Blake Jarwin.
Considering the available options, a receiving tight end capable of fitting in seamlessly with any quarterback would appear to be the perfect candidate. Cook may be 35 years of age, but he clinched two consecutive Pro Bowl berths as recently as 2018 and 2019. Furthermore, he’s coming off a respectable 48-catch, 564-yard campaign in 2021 with the Los Angeles Chargers.
To top things off, Cook has played with some of the best quarterbacks in recent memory, catching passes from Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees. In other words, Cook is accustomed to playing in vertical passing attacks while playing for six different teams over the course of his career.
Whichever route the Buccaneers choose to pursue, they absolutely need to pursue an insurance policy.
Brate isn’t going to cut it and he’s not going to magically transform into a viable starting tight end at the age of 31. If he couldn’t cut it last season while catching passes from the greatest quarterback ever, things aren’t going to change this season.
As far as the rookie options are concerned, Otton could one day emerge as the next viable receiving threat at the tight end position. In fact, former New England Patriots running back and Brady’s ex-teammate Shane Vereen believes that’s the case.
“He is that good,” said Vereen, who played four years with Brady. “He was a great college tight end. And I think he has the smarts to get on the same page in a Tom Brady offense. I think he’s going to surprise a lot of people.”
While he has good optics (6-foot-5, 250 pounds), he never caught any more than 32 passes or 344 yards in a single season during his career at the University of Washington. Immediately expecting him to step in and fill the void left by Gronkowski over a 17-game season is a little bit foolish.
Meanwhile, Kieft is a self-admitted blocking tight end who will see a minimal role in the receiving game.
“Any kind of run blocking, pass pro – I’m your man. I’ll get down and dirty with the worst of ‘em," said Kieft shortly after being drafted back in April.
Adding or not adding a tight end likely won’t have much impact on the Buccaneers’ final standing during the regular season. However, when Tampa Bay needs a big game or a key play made here and there during the playoffs against tougher opponents such as the Rams, it’ll be very important the Buccaneers have a reliable veteran tight end in the fold.
