Cade Otton Has Very Steep Goals
May 24th, 2024
Lofty goals.
Gotta give Cade Otton credit. He’s not scared to tackle an issue that might seem too big to overcome.
Joe wrote about how one respected NFL analyst believes the Bucs have the best safeties in the NFL. And with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, the wide receivers room is strong.
And Joe guesses one could argue that few teams have a pair of defensive tackles as good as Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey. Joe supposes the Bucs’ offensive tackles, as a group, are formidable with Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke.
But the tight ends? Joe doesn’t think anyone would suggest the tight ends room is the strongest group on the team. That doesn’t mean Otton isn’t determined to change that image.
Speaking after underwear football practice on Tuesday, Otton said his goal is to make the tight ends room the best group on the Bucs’ roster.
This came up when Otton was asked about being the senior member among the tight ends room in just his third season.
“It is really surreal,” Otton said. “I think my rookie year just getting a chance to learn from guys like Cam Brate and Kyle Rudolph really prepared me [for] this point. I just tried to pick up things from them and other guys on the team.
“We have great leaders in our locker room, great players that I get the chance to talk to and watch every single day. I just try to mimic them and watch them and try to apply those things [with the tight ends] room.
“We [as a tight end group] talked [Tuesday]. Our goal is to be the best unit on the team. It takes some different things to do that. And you watch other groups on our team who have been super successful and you try to mirror that and take it to the next level.”
Props to Otton for having lofty goals. To paraphrase Vince Lombardi, by chasing perfection you will reach excellence.
But first, Otton must become a Pro Bowler, and possibly an All-Pro, too. Looking at the safeties or the defensive tackles or even the wide receivers, each group is led by an All-Pro, a Pro Bowler and a future Hall of Famer, respectively.
For Otton to be recognized as great, he’ll have to raise his game. He seemed to have turned the corner last year to become a solid tight end.
If Otton has a Pro Bowl season or better, Joe will go out on a limb and say the Bucs offense will be damn hard to stop.
May 24th, 2024 at 7:33 am
I like Cade Otton but I don’t see him ever becoming a top 10 tightend. I could be wrong and hope I am but Otton just doesn’t excel at anything. He is an above average pass catch but doesn’t have speed to be elite nor does he have the body type to be a good blocking TE.
May 24th, 2024 at 7:48 am
Doesn’t need to be a top 10 anything, just be the the well rounded TE that can help in the run game and bail us out in the pass game. 3 OCs in his first 3 seasons can’t be the greatest environment for a young players development, same can be said for Rachaad.
I like this type of talk coming from Cade tho, it’s almost like a passive boast from a guy we don’t hear from too often.
May 24th, 2024 at 7:57 am
Then learn to block and learn to catch.
May 24th, 2024 at 8:12 am
You get what you invest…….4th round, Cade Otton, 5th round Payne Durham, 7th round, Delvin Culp
What do you expect?
May 24th, 2024 at 8:18 am
as slow and lunky as gronk was in his senior years…….and yeah he was a great blocker…
I see know reason why most TE’s could not be great provided they can catch, block and get targets.
targets are not enough to make a great assessment.
May 24th, 2024 at 8:42 am
Well TBBF, selecting O.J. Howard in the first round a few years back did us no favors either.
May 24th, 2024 at 9:17 am
Hmm, best position group on the team? I think the TE group has a lot of climbing to do if that’s his goal. I’m curious to see how others around here rank the position groups. Here’s my take.
1) WR
2) S
3) DT
4) OL
5) CB
6) RB
7) ILB
8) OLB
9) TE
10) QB
May 24th, 2024 at 9:42 am
Otton has gotten better every season and you cant take him off the field on top of it. I love his growth and he can surely become a top 10 TE if he continues improving at the pace he is and stays heathy
May 24th, 2024 at 9:47 am
TE group is weak, let’s see what the new coach can do. Better run blocking and fewer drops.
May 24th, 2024 at 11:27 am
Jason Licht listed Payne Durham as one of 3 guys to watch making a year 2 jump. Zyon McCollum and Watts were the other 2. Culp will also be hard to keep off the field, so anyone thinking Cade Otton will be top 10 needs to temper their expectations. If we were a heavy 12 personnel team then maybe. If he takes a huge year 3 step, I guess it’s POSSIBLE, but that would mean Durham and Culp are not doing well enough, which is worse IMO.
The competition will be better than most think.
May 24th, 2024 at 11:36 am
We’ve got 2 position groups where the starter / “veteran” in the room is only in his 3rd or 4th season- tight end and OLB.
That’s a problem, and it’s kind of unfair to the development of the young guys.
May 24th, 2024 at 1:46 pm
He’s not that good…
May 24th, 2024 at 2:16 pm
You go Cade!
May 24th, 2024 at 5:36 pm
Play the next play to your best ability kid. Be a great man. The rest will come
May 24th, 2024 at 9:03 pm
Love it!
Thanks Joes
May 25th, 2024 at 6:39 am
Pulp looked good yesterday in a Bucs video.
If he has good hands, there is no way we got a 4.47 TE in the 7th round
I really hope Culp can develop.
Otton and Durham are solid. But slow.
Culp could force DC’s to plan differently.
May 25th, 2024 at 8:48 am
A tight end who can’t block my grandma has not “turned the corner last year to become a solid tight end.”
Not even gonna go in to drops.
Go Bucs!
May 25th, 2024 at 4:54 pm
Otton really did seem to “get it” at the end of last year.
I hope that both Cade And Payne really step up Baker needs a Good TE group to help out.
No running game and bad TE production most of the year.
I still dont know how Baker Mayfield did it.
One of the Best seasons by a QB Ive ever seen.
Hopefully, Our TEs earn their Money, and help Mayfield out this year.