Cade Otton Examined
October 28th, 2025
Tight end Cade Otton, back when he was a red zone option.
There was a divide at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
The Joe typing here was moaning about the Bucs not throwing the ball nearly enough to Cade Otton, and not utilizing the tight end position overall. The other Joe was saying Otton was staying in to block a lot, so catching the rock wasn’t really on the table for him.
The data shows that after eight games, Otton leads the NFL in routes run by tight ends, per the legitimate stats outfit Sumer Sports (graphic below).
What makes that even more interesting is the Bucs rank 17th in the NFL in total offensive plays. So Otton not only leads all tight ends in routes run, he’s run routes at the highest percentage of snaps in the league.
There’s a lot of ways to think about those numbers, but Otton has been an extremely busy man this season in the passing game and that’s likely to continue.
Otton has been catching more passes lately and rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka gushed about him yesterday on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
“I love playing with Cade,” Egbuka said. “He’s is a great leader for us. An I wouldn’t even call it him stepping up. I think he’s always been in that role just when his number is called. He’s super reliable. He’s one of the most reliable people on our team on and off the field. You can trust him to get his job done and whatever you ask him to do. So I’m grateful that I came into a team has someone like that to kind of lean on and be that steady, consistent rock for our offense.”
October 28th, 2025 at 8:42 am
Baker just needs to trust him more.
Cade Otton can be a top recieving TE if given the chance. With us having so many injuries to WR Baker should realize this.
October 28th, 2025 at 8:48 am
Other than Cade, Bucs don’t have much at the TE position. I love the kid at Green Bay who was incredible on Sunday night.
October 28th, 2025 at 8:54 am
I like Cade, but the poor guy gets physically abused more than any other TE, it seems. Been very durable though.
October 28th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Cade had an amazing block on a 7 yard Rachaad White run where he was motioned into the backfield and lined up as a FB to lead block, sealed off the left side of the B-gap and allowed the play to develop enough to allow White to fall forward for a few extra yards. No Cade on that play, the run would have been dead in the water. I think Otton is underrated, and underutilized when we’re at full health
October 28th, 2025 at 9:03 am
Breathing a sigh of relief… “examined”….,I thought meant for injury…
October 28th, 2025 at 9:09 am
Cade is steady eddy lol
no problem with him at all but i wish he was more athletic lol
6-2!!!
GO BUCS!!!!
October 28th, 2025 at 9:33 am
A bigger question for me is with all the receivers that have gone down and knowing we have a size speed specimen in Devin Culp why is he not getting into the game at all as a receiver. Every time I look at the snap counts I see that he plays maybe three snaps a game…
He is similar size and speed to Mike Evans and it was very clear on our last goal line try but trying to a smaller guy like Shepherd a fade route is not the right move whereas a similar play to a guy like Culp might have worked.
October 28th, 2025 at 9:35 am
A “top receiving tight end” is grossly pushing it. I like your posts typically as they’re generally well reasoned but Cade is extremely dependable. He is otherwise unremarkable. If he had top shelf, blue chip talent then he would be leveraged a lot more. Cade is fairly slow, isn’t strong – not a great blocker etc etc. We aren’t talking about Tyler Warren here. He is simply a good reliable tight end. And that’s fine, there’s value in that, but it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if that’s one of the positions they upgrade in the offseason
October 28th, 2025 at 9:55 am
I feel like Baker made Grizzard look like a genius when he was playing lights out but Grizz isn’t doing him any favors with his play calling recently doesn’t look cohesive
October 28th, 2025 at 11:14 am
Otton is our little Forest Gump.
Run Otton, Run!
Great meaningless stat, Joe!
October 28th, 2025 at 11:31 am
That is a huge surprise to this fan. Ithought the same as the othr Joe. So lack of a run game is on the O line and Bucky’s injury entirely? Not sure how to feel about that. Worrying that the offense has sputtered the last two games. That means we can’t run well and the passing game even with Otten is not up to snuff either. Ouch! Shepard and Egbuka are not looking near as dangerous lately.
Grizz?
Go Bucs!
October 28th, 2025 at 12:30 pm
I’ve said it before here that Otten is a good #2 TE. Look at Tyler Warren stats. Almost twice the yardage than Otten and Warren is a rookie! I don’t understand why Routes Run are ranked and not the other stats. If it was ranked by receptions (Otten near bottom) or yards gained (bottom half).
Otten is valuable to us now that WRs are so limited. If we had Evens and the gang he wouldn’t even be on this list.
October 28th, 2025 at 1:18 pm
Grizz grossly under utilizing Otten ( and Durham and Culp). The few catches Cade has had this year are mostly check down passes when Baker is in trouble. Very few designed passes. Durham had 21 red zone TDs in college playing in the Big 10. That’s why we drafted him. Canales used him . Coen used him . Grizz just wants him to block. Culp is a mismatch all over the field. No jdea why he isnt being used. Every team in the league throws to their TE1,2,3. Some even TE4. All 3 of ours have proven they can catch, and in traffic. This one is on Grizz.
October 28th, 2025 at 1:42 pm
they should have used him on those goal line plays. i feel like bowles has interjected himself on situational play calling
October 28th, 2025 at 1:44 pm
Gofortheface30, so a “dependable” receiver is an “unremarkable” in your opinion. Cade Otton has been a very good receiver since Bucs drafted him. That is his strong point. Guys like Ko Kieft are drafted cos they’re natural blockers. We still don’t know about Culp and Durham. How good are they? What are their strengths? Grizzard better take the time to review tape of the first 8 games. He could use Bake’s input. It would take a load off the OLine.
October 28th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
I can’t stand stats like this. It reminds me of pundits who claim a certain receiver should be targeted more because he is a team’s bonifide best player.
Why do people assume that any time someone runs a route, he gets open? Maybe the problem isn’t Baker or Grizzard. Maybe Otton just doesn’t beat his defender very well or find an open spot in the zone all too well.
Likewise, maybe that stud receiver that everyone thinks needs to be thrown to more often just isn’t getting open. Or, are people suggesting QBs should just throw it regardless of whether the receiver is open or not?
October 28th, 2025 at 2:24 pm
BigBoiBuc said it all. It’s about number of targets mostly and route type also. Grizz and Bake just need to target the TEs.
October 28th, 2025 at 2:40 pm
@scottymac. – what’s your definition of “ getting open”. Players these days don’t need to be 10 yards clear of the defender to be open. They are mostly all employed because they can make contested catches. Body position vs your defender has alot to do with it. Give me a Durham, a 6’6” kid, with 82 inch wingspan and a 35 inch vertical jump, who positions himself as a posted up basketball player against 6’2 DB , all day. All day.
October 28th, 2025 at 3:50 pm
Dependable to pretty good, but also someone who doesn’t exactly jump off the tv screen – yes OrlBucsfan. Two things can be true. I appreciate the loyalty fans have for their guys, I get it. But again, it’s not like he’s some freak of nature like Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren, George Little etc etc. he’s a solid player – I wouldn’t really call him a weapon that teams game plan for. You aren’t gnna ask him to run a flag route like you did with Gronk. Again I like Otton, but if the Bucs draft an Eli Raridon, who’s like 6-7 260 and runs a 4.6, that changes the offense. I love him as a number two with a Gronk type as a TE1. That’s best case scenario, luxury tho. Clearly there are more pressing needs
October 28th, 2025 at 3:56 pm
Further – Payne Durham gets a lot of looks in preseason and in camp. If they were in love with him, he’d be getting run in the regular season. Oh, he plays in the regular season – but to block. And he’s AWFUL at that. He’s one of those guys that’s on the team until they find someone better. I do agree Culp has upside, but obviously they’re seeing things they do not like out of him. Pretty sure Tampa would love to have a rocked up 4.5 dude smoking linebackers down the hash as another weapon, but he isn’t hitting certain markers. And if he’s only good for lining up wide, well that doesn’t exactly help us right now with our oline playing like crap
October 28th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
That is a shocking stat – I didn’t know that.
Means Baker basically isn’t looking his way, for whatever reason. It’s not good or bad to be sure, the team is 6-2 and in 1st place, so do whatever works, but it’s hard to think Otton is leading in routes and has such a low target share considering all the injuries at WR, and Otton’s past production where he’s proven is a pretty good reliable receiver.
October 28th, 2025 at 5:51 pm
@GoForTheFace. I usually agree with some of your posts but on this one you’re talking out of the wrong office on your body. Griz didn’t target Durham at all in the preseason, so wrong there. He also just graded 95 on PFF focus as the top graded run blocker in the NFL that week and has consistent top run blocking grades. Do your homework man, otherwise you appear stupid. Griz failing to uses Culp as a weapon is unexplainable. Hit markers? What markers? He balled out at the end of last year and this preseason.
October 28th, 2025 at 5:55 pm
Otton is probably the 3th or 4th priority in every play
October 29th, 2025 at 9:13 am
Is he getting separation or is he just running routes?
October 29th, 2025 at 10:00 am
Baker’s arm is too good and he’s too good at progressions to even get to him I bet. Otton must rarely be the first or second read.