“I’m Just Excited To Be Healthy Again”
July 9th, 2019
(Photo courtesy of Buccaneers.com.)
BY ZACHARY SEIFTER
JoeBucsFan.com intern
He was out on a football field today in Tampa, running deep and short routes while catching Jameis Winston passes and getting tips from Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss, who shadowed him around the field.
And after the workout, Cameron Brate said something that will make Bucs fans rejoice.
The mystery is over.
The Bucs’ tight end has been a giant question mark this offseason. After surgery on a hip that former Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter said hasn’t been right for quite some time, it wasn’t known whether Brate would be ready for the regular season let alone training camp.
In an exclusive interview with JoeBucsFan.com, Brate was asked about his trip to London last week, where he served as a football ambassador ahead of the Bucs’ trip to the UK in Week 6.
It was then that he revealed the answer to the question many have been asking.
“It allowed me to take a little rest from all the rehab and stuff,” Brate explained. “I’m in a really good spot with that. You know, I’m really excited, I’ll be 100 percent in a couple weeks here for camp.”
There it is.
The Bucs will be getting back one of Winston’s favorite targets and possibly their best red zone threat.
Brate provides not only a reliable target, but an excellent replacement if O.J. Howard is once again unable to play a full season. The role Brate plays on this offense can’t be overlooked.
And fans can thank the Bucs’ medical staff for his quick return.
“Yeah, rehab has been going really, really well,” Brate said. “I feel like I’ve got myself in a really good spot. … The athletic training staff over at One Buc has done a really great job with me and you know, I feel strong, I feel fast and I’m just excited to be healthy again.”
It would appear as though Arians meant what he said during minicamp when he claimed he expected everyone, except JPP, to be healthy going into training camp.
Now all that’s needed is a positive update on Justin Evans.
July 9th, 2019 at 4:24 pm
I’m over Justin Evans waste of a pick imo we already have a better Evans on the field. Watch him get beat out by a Rook!!!
July 9th, 2019 at 4:26 pm
Everyone is so quick to write him off because of his contract. When healthy, he catches everything. He scores touchdowns. He AND OJ on the field together would be deadly like Gronk and Hernandez. They were instoppable.
July 9th, 2019 at 4:39 pm
There is absolutely, positively everything good about Cameron Brate…..and the best thing is that he didn’t even cost us a draft pick….
For those who think we should trade him…..what we look like with no Brate and an injured OJ?……but with both on the field with Evans & Godwin……who’s going to cover Rojo out of the backfield?
July 9th, 2019 at 4:58 pm
WE WANT IRV! WE WANT IRV!!
July 9th, 2019 at 5:04 pm
What does Justin Evans have to do with this post?
July 9th, 2019 at 5:06 pm
They’ve lost with this mediocre at best te… 4-12 and BA Bails by week 10
July 9th, 2019 at 5:13 pm
Randy Moss? Sweeeeet
July 9th, 2019 at 5:35 pm
YBBF….ROJO ROLLING OUT FOR A PASS IN THAT SITUATION IS GOING TO PRODUCE A LOY OF BIG GAIN PLAYS!!!
July 9th, 2019 at 5:35 pm
Tmax you are an idiot
July 9th, 2019 at 5:45 pm
Nice to hear Brate is back!
July 9th, 2019 at 5:46 pm
Please don’t say “deadly like…Hernandez”.
July 9th, 2019 at 5:49 pm
Brate is, at the least, a very very good NFL TE… sometimes he even looks like a great TE.
Not sure if there is a valid argument against that.
I mean when Brate and Winston are clicking it is really awesome.
I hope he stays in Tampa for real long time.
BUT!
… if someone like the Patriots thought they needed a TE like Brate badly enough to let someone like Shaq Mason head to Tampa, I would probably jump on that.
I just wouldn’t even think about letting Brate go unless we were able to plug a hole in our roster that would be an almost “sure thing” (if that exists).
July 9th, 2019 at 6:31 pm
Swamp Buc, ding ding ding. We have a winner. Brate would be a good trade for Michel or Harrison as well. Both backs are on rookie contracts so we shed salary and fix the backfield.
July 9th, 2019 at 6:34 pm
Aw Tmax why no optimism this year? I thought we would be able to win now that Cancer93 was gone?
July 9th, 2019 at 7:02 pm
Exactly swamp.
July 9th, 2019 at 8:06 pm
Yea maxi-beotch – now that the “cancer” is gone – shouldn’t you be brimming with optimism? LOL
Glad to hear that Brate is feeling good and expects to be 100% heading into camp.
We can only afford Cam for 2 more years while OJ is still on his rookie contract – but its nice to have him here for now.
We need to see that 2-headed monster at Tight End get utilized this year!
Good luck to defenses trying to cover Evans, Godwin, Howard and Brate all at the same time while still accounting for a RB out of the backfield in a two TE, one RB set.
July 9th, 2019 at 8:12 pm
And the quality of receiver blocking out of that same set will be extraordinary – whether its a run play or a dump off pass to the RB…..
Defenses will usually be in base vs that 2 TE, 1 RB set as well – so it really bodes well for big pass plays out of that alignment if you set it up with proper play calling.
Hope we see a lot of that formation this year assuming both Brate and OJ stay healthy.
July 9th, 2019 at 8:26 pm
I kinda torn because a healthy Brate sounds great for this offense but trading him for Duke Johnson sounds good too. DJ just fired his agent and is pushing hard to get traded.
Should the Bucs put in a 3rd round pick out for Washington State DB Jalen Thompson, in tomorrow’s supplemental draft? If the Bucs aren’t confident that Evans won’t be fully healthy game 1, I’d say do it.
July 9th, 2019 at 8:39 pm
BucEmUp Says:
July 9th, 2019 at 5:35 pm
Tmax you are an idiot
That is akin to saying that water is wet. 🙂
July 9th, 2019 at 8:55 pm
Make America Brate again!
July 9th, 2019 at 10:20 pm
Because Moss84 would take time to work with a mediocre TE! Lol get a nice warm fuzzy article and sure someone has to come piss all over it. As for week 10 BA and the Bucs will be clipping wings for the Cardinals to the sweet tone of a “Dubba”
July 9th, 2019 at 10:21 pm
Great to hear that Cam Brate is back to 100%, but really disappointing to hear several looking at him as trade bait. Our offense needs 3 things to excel: (1) better OLine play; (2) better RB play; and (3) better QB play.
The first we can fix via better coaching & finding 1-2 quality veteran OLinemen when cutdowns occur prior to the start of the season. The second we MAY already have a fix for if RoJo works out as a complementary RB to Peyton Barber. Or if one of our other backs (Anderson?) comes on strong. Or if we grab a quality veteran RB when cutdowns occur.
The third … better QB play … is the biggest key, and BA has gone all-in on Jameis. Now it’s up to him to PLAY UP TO HIS POTENTIAL this year. But for Jameis to do that, he NEEDS quality receivers who he has or can develop exceptional chemistry with. Cam Brate certainly qualifies in that category. Let’s not screw it up by trading him away for a RB. If OJ goes down yet again we’d be REALLY SCREWED.
July 10th, 2019 at 12:57 pm
Will he be able to take some shots on that hip and play 16 games may be a good question. . . only one way to find out