The storyline at tight end is once again very similar for the Bucs heading into the 2024 season. It’s a young group with plenty of potential that hasn’t totally been tapped into just yet.
The elder statesmen in the tight end room are Cade Otton and Ko Kieft, who are heading into year three. That makes it another year without having a veteran presence at the position and just relying on youth instead.
The only real difference as far as personnel goes for the Bucs is the addition of Washington Huskies tight end Devin Culp, who was selected in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. With 4.47 speed, Culp is already the fastest of the group and might be a factor in the passing game.
On the latest Pewter Report Podcast, Scott Reynolds and I discussed each position group of the Bucs roster, deciding whether the group was strength or weakness. When it came to tight end, the general consensus was that it was a team weakness. But due to the adjustment of what the offense is going to look like under coordinator Liam Coen, the plan is for the Bucs to run a lot of formations in 11 personnel, which is one back, one tight end and three wide receivers.
Coen’s roots are with the Rams, who ran 11 personnel about 95% of the time last year and were in 12 personnel, which is one back, two tight ends and two receivers, about 5% of the time. Last season when Tampa Bay was running Dave Canales’ offense, the Bucs were in 12 personnel about 20% of the time. So expect far fewer two-tight end sets this season.
How Bucs Tight End’s Will Benefit From Liam Coen’s Scheme
So, Tampa Bay’s tight end room doesn’t have the best depth but the group will be protected by how the offense will function. It’s kind of telling when what they will benefit from the most is being used less. Oddly enough, that may come as an advantage for starter Cade Otton, who was an ironman for the Bucs playing 98% of the snaps throughout the season.
There’s no doubt Otton is efficient as a pass catcher. He was never going to be the first option given the skill players that the Bucs have, but his stat line of 47 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns was respectable. Where Otton probably struggled the most was inline blocking. Did some of this have to do with fatigue? It’s possible, but the plan this year is to not wear him out by playing every single snap, so hopefully he can get better as a receiver and blocker.
“You have to remember how young these guys are,” new Bucs tight ends coach Justin Peelle said about Otton’s blocking and overall usage. “They’re coming from college where a lot of times you’re not asked to do it. And then the kids are coming out so early these days that they’re still developing, they’re still getting stronger. There is some technique stuff that you need to work on. Again, he’s only going into his third year, it takes some time to get that down.
“There’s some very good defensive players that you’re going to face, especially in this division, that you’ve got to have your technique right, you’ve got to have some good strength. Understand where you’ve got to be and when you got to be there, that type of deal. A lot of that comes from experience, a lot of that comes with reps, which he’s gotten a lot of and I thought he got better as the year went on. You’re always going to have room to improve.”
Bucs Still Have Some Question Marks At Tight End Position
Cade Otton’s fellow third-year tight end is Ko Kieft, who at this point is more of a fullback than he is a tight end. He made one catch last season, but it was for a touchdown. Kieft doesn’t have good hands, and the fact that his best trait is blocking for running game that has been last in the league over previous two seasons, that’s usually not a good sign.
Kieft is not guaranteed to make the roster this year out of training camp. A lot of this hinges on the growth and development of second-year tight end Payne Durham. We didn’t see too much of Durham as a rookie. He played in 13 games and made five catches for 58 yards.
Durham played in less than nine snaps per game, so his opportunities in the passing game were limited. He certainly needs to fill out and add some size and strength in the offseason, but Durham has some value in the red zone as a receiver, though he – much like everyone else in the tight end room – needs to improve in blocking.
That’s also a concern of the rookie Devin Culp. He wasn’t even the first tight end option at Washington. Outside of his speed he’s going to have to provide a benefit in another area. Listed at 231 pounds, Culp is too light to be blocker, so his primary contribution will have to be as a receiver.
Relying on just one tight end on the field instead of two will help mask the unit’s deficiencies in Coen’s offense. And the good news is these tight ends will have plenty of time to figure it out before the season starts. They’ll be heading into the 2024 season very young once again, so it should be interesting to see how new tight ends coach Justin Peelle can improve the unit.
“They are young,” Peelle said. “The thing is that Cade’s played a lot of ball in his first two years. Ko’s played a decent amount as well. But they are young and they’re still learning, which is fun. They’re eager, they’re soaking up everything. So far it’s been a fun group to be around.”
