Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tight End Cade Otton Ranked Poorly Among NFL's Best
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers don't often get national love, regardless of being one of the most consistent teams over the past five seasons.
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With stars on the roster like Mike Evans, Vita Vea and Lavonte David, their names are hardly ever on the list of the top of their position groups outside of Tampa Bay.
Why should this offseason be any different?
Pro Football Focus released its tight end rankings ahead of the 2025 season, and while Cade Otton isn't ranked highly, it's for good reason.
20. Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
"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."
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Otton is sandwiched between No. 19 Kyle Pitts in Atlanta and No. 21 Josh Oliver in Minnesota.
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.
If Otton can clean up his pass catching, he'd be a far more effective offensive tool for quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Bucs.
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Related: Ex Buccaneers QB Shocked at Haason Reddick's Absence from Voluntary OTAs
Related: Buccaneers 3rd-Round Wideout Linked to AFC Contender
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
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