Todd Bowles Has Interesting Words About Tight Ends
August 19th, 2026
Makes Todd Bowles “feel good.”
You can tell KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles and SiriusXM NFL Radio superstar Pat Kirwan are tight.
The two had a brisk, fun interview yesterday as Jacob Hester and Kirwan, co-hosts of “Movin’ the Chains,” were at Bucs camp as part of the channel’s “Training Camp Tour.” The duo had a sitdown with Bowles at One Buc Palace.
Bowles was as chipper and relaxed as you ever hear him. Kirwan, at one point, offered advice for Bowles “because we’re friends.”
Bowles, indirectly, had a remark that Joe has been alluding to for the past couple of weeks about tight end play.
Joe has noted that rookie sixth-round pick Bauer Sharp makes a play just about every day. Devin Culp, a reserve tight end who often makes a play the few times he gets into a game, is mired on the third- team offense and maybe makes one or two plays a week.
Sharp is often on the second-team offense and yesterday took some snaps with the first team.
Kirwan told Bowles he likes how Bowles rotates guys in and out of plays in practice. He thinks that keeps players fresh in the summer heat and gives them valuable snaps they will use later in the season when guys do get hurt.
Bowles didn’t disagree and mentioned he likes to see backups take snaps on the first team, offense or defense. There’s a method to his madness.
“Even when guys don’t go down, I like to put players in practice with the first unit,” Bowles explained. “You’re not going to make the team playing against threes and fours.
“And if someone gets hurt, you are going to be playing against someone’s ones. So it is great to get them in early to see what they can do.”
Culp stuck on the third-team offense and Sharp logging snaps with the first-team offense, for Joe, is very telling after the first preseason game.
Another guy mired on the second- and third-team offense is Ko Kieft, who is coming off knee surgery. But Joe has seen Kieft with the ones a few times.
But Bowles’ words to Kirwan about Kieft were very encouraging for the University of Minnesota product. Bowles was asked by Kirwan about depth.
“You feel good about Cade [Otton],” Bowles began. “You feel good about Payne [Durham] and you feel good about Ko Kieft coming back.”
Bowles did not say Kieft is a lock but it seems that he has an edge as far as sticking with the team.
Earlier, Hester, a former fullback with LSU and the Chargers, mentioned how he hates tight ends who play fullback. But he joked with Bowles about Kieft, “He wears No. 41, so he’s already a fullback.”
August 19th, 2026 at 5:09 am
I hate it to. True fullbacks are a dying breed. Culp came up with a difficult catch Friday. He came up with a few during the season. He’s a curious player. When he plays, he comes up with some catches.
August 19th, 2026 at 5:23 am
Culp is a WR. Try him there.
August 19th, 2026 at 6:10 am
Ko is a fullback who plays tight end
August 19th, 2026 at 6:18 am
We missed Ko a lot more than most folks realize last year.
He’s more of a hybrid blocking TE/fullback. If he’d been on the field it’s likely Baker wouldn’t have taken as many hits as he did and our run game would have been a little better.
He won’t ever be a downfield threat, but there’s something to be said for keeping Baker on his feet and opening up lanes for our RBs.
Devin, unfortunately, looks like a prime candidate for the practice squad or just being outright cut/released.
He’s made the most of his very limited opportunities during the season. For whatever reason, the powers that be choose not to play him. They must see something in practice that we can’t.
August 19th, 2026 at 6:50 am
Culp is not a WR. He’s not flexible enough.
He is however very strong with huge legs.
I love the way he breaks tackles.
I don’t know why we signed Otton for 10 million per year. For 3 years.
TE’s are easy to replace. We had Payne, Culp, and Keift. And we drafted Bauer.
We easily couid have replaced Otton and used the money on Dean.
August 19th, 2026 at 6:52 am
Well he had to learn a new playbook as well as Sharp so no advantage there.
Different flavors for different coaches.
Another coach might love Culps skill set.
August 19th, 2026 at 7:03 am
Don’t feel too bad for Culp. He will be one of those guys that sticks with two or three more teams before getting fully vested status and then will call it a career.
August 19th, 2026 at 7:47 am
Weakest TE unit in the NFL…
Congrats.
TE Cade Otton made the NFL “over-paid” list this year.
Our beloved Chris Godwin (not a TE) also made the list.
Oh – GOODY!
August 19th, 2026 at 7:50 am
In the Jets game, I noticed Ko blowing up guys. He’s a huge asset in the run game that was missed last year.
August 19th, 2026 at 7:54 am
Ko is also a huge ST guy. That helps…
August 19th, 2026 at 8:42 am
The bucs should have made Culp a WR to replace Mike Evans instead of wasting a pick on Ted Hurst and they should have used that pick on another CB. Now we have a wasted player in Devin Culp. Though, I do like the Ted Hurst pick so I cannot complain. But Culp is similar height, bigger, fast(er?), and seems to catch everything thrown his way.
August 19th, 2026 at 8:58 am
@ First Last
Culp was a 6’3″ – 245 ilb’er that ran a 4.4 (40) yard dash and was a solid player at a major D1 program.
We drafted him in round 7 (246th pick).
Worth the risk IMO – this type of pick is perfect in the 7th round…
For whatever reason the guy’s PT has been limited. Maybe he was drafted for one of the previous OC’s?
They didn’t utilize him much either.
I wonder why?
August 19th, 2026 at 9:19 am
Otten is not overpaid at all. He’s a top 15 player at his position. If you think he’s overpaid you should watch the games at the end of last season when there were no healthy starting WR on the field. He can be even better receiver but he’s generally a fifth option in the offense behind 3 wr and 1 rb.
Let’s see how good he is in the new offense with ZRob.
August 19th, 2026 at 9:37 am
McCollum didn’t make the list? Had to at least be a dishonorable mention.
August 19th, 2026 at 9:44 am
Nothing Bowles says has any value. He finds ways to lose games.
Whatever he thinks the team should do, the smart play is to do the opposite.
2-7 was his brain child. Could have been 0-9. Easily.
August 19th, 2026 at 10:56 am
@Teacherman, when have you seen Culp “ break tackles”? Do you actually watch the games?
August 19th, 2026 at 11:25 am
It’s all hindsight now but I agree with the Otton sentiment.
I like Cade but I would be fine with the other 4 TEs on the roster, while Ottons 10 million was used to make Vita happy this year.
The offense can work without gloveless wonder Cade, forget the drops, maybe he could have gripped the ball better and avoided 2 costly turnovers last season!
The D can work without Vita but he surely has a bigger impact on the D than Cade does on the O.
August 19th, 2026 at 11:26 am
*agree with the Otton sentiment from Teacherman.
Money for Vita, even though we are a lil thin at CB, good riddance Dean. Guy was way too soft !
August 19th, 2026 at 2:51 pm
Talk about turning on a “Team First” guy.
Otton has the one asset lacking in a lot of our players. Availability. Time and time again, he has outperformed expectations. He never gripes or complains. Even when last year he was utilized as an offensive lineman vs a TE due to all the injuries. Yes he had two awful interceptions against him last year, but he also had waaay more positive plays than negative. We need more guys like Cade.
August 19th, 2026 at 6:07 pm
@Our year.
I haven’t missed a game since 1995.
His rookie year.
3 catches for 52 yards vs. Carolina, followed by 2 catches for 36 yards vs. New Orleans.
He looked FAST and THICK.
He would do great on TE screens!
August 19th, 2026 at 7:06 pm
@Teacherman, I haven’t missed a game in 20 years either, and have attended all home games and a lot of away games in the last 10
Years. Not sure why that matters. Yes, I saw the catches of Culp you refer to. Didn’t “ break tackles” on any of them. He is fast and thick. Just to my point though, didn’t break tackles.