The Infatuation With Cade Otton
October 6th, 2026
Baffling passing attack.
The 30,000 or so Bucs fans who showed up to the NFL game on Sunday between the Packers and the Bucs got to watch one of the more active tight ends in the league.
And it wasn’t Tucker Kraft.
Under the watchful guidance of Bucs offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Cade Otton has become a favorite target of Bucs quarterbacks.
Per Sumer Sports, Otton has a target percentage of 19 percent. “Target Share” represents the amount of times a player was targeted divided by the total number of team targets in games.
That’s more than future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce. More than Pro Bowlers Dalton Kincaid or Darren Waller. More than Colston Loveland and Kenyon Sadiq and Kraft.
Maybe Joe’s readers can help. Joe just doesn’t get it.
With an offense that has Chris Godwin, Emeka Egbuka, Ted Hurst and hell, even Bucky Irving and Kenny Gainwell, Robinson is either allergic to or hostile to throwing the ball to those playmakers.
But he’s all-in on feeding Otton.
Give Robinson maybe the most mid tight end in the league, boy, Robinson can’t feed him the ball enough.
Joe has nothing against Otton. At all. He’s a willing blocker and maybe underrated there. But as a receiving tight end, Otton drops way too many passes for Joe to feel comfortable.
One could argue is misused in some ways. He’s a sneaky good long-ball receiver down the seams. Go back and watch the win over Seattle on the road last year, or the win over the Stinking Panthers at home last season.
But that’s the issue. With the weapons and playmakers who can generate explosive plays with just their legs, why is Robinson so hell-bent on force-feeding Otton?
Joe will repeat the Nick Saban story. Saban learned from his old high school coach; it’s about players, not plays. Gt the ball to your most dangerous players to make plays and win games.
The Bucs are 0-4 after four games.
When Saban and Alabama were in a tight spot, what was his advice to quarterbacks? Get the ball to Julio Jones. But let’s not confuse Robinson with Saban.
If Bucs quarterbacks are throwing to Otton so much because he’s the only guy open, the least Joe can expect from an average offensive coordinator is to scheme guys open. Robinson has several weapons at his disposal.
The Bucs on Sunday had two passes targeting running backs. What the hell? Bucky Irving is an excellent receiver who can take a catch to the house. And Joe thought a big reason the Bucs gave Kenny Gainwell $7 million was because of his versatility in the passing game?
Joe was told by a Bucs-type before training camp that one reason the Bucs signed Gainwell is they thought he ran better routes than Rachaad White — and Joe thinks White is excellent in the passing game.
With all these guys to throw to, Otton is the main target? Exhibit A why this offense is so messed up.
October 6th, 2026 at 3:20 am
The problem is the offensive line is not blocking well enough to get the ball down field to the receivers.
Lots of long handoffs known as the wide receiver screens. The other problem is, he had a great tight end in Atlanta and he utilized it.
Here we have Otton. He is a very good all around TE but not great at anything. Definitely not great receiving. For every great tough catch he makes, he’ll drop two that are freshman in high school would catch.
After the drop last week, I’ve concluded I am basically over him. He should be the blocking #2 TE and they need to hit free agency or the draft next year and get a real TE since they are so determined to use one
October 6th, 2026 at 4:18 am
You wanna throw it to the small AND slow WRs? The small AND slow RBs?
Below average TE that can’t catch it is, champ. It’s the best we got.
This might be the least physically talented skill group the league has seen in decades.
October 6th, 2026 at 4:46 am
1st down Bucky up the middle
2nd down 3 yard screen
3rd down incomplete pass to Almost Otton
4th down punt
Post game Todd “We got to coach it better”
Repeat next week.
October 6th, 2026 at 4:50 am
If I may rant…
Cade Otton getting a 19% target share is like putting premium gas in a riding mower. I like Cade Otton. I also like my toaster. Neither should be the focal point of an NFL offense. Otton has a higher target share than Travis Kelce. Somewhere Andy Reid just spit out a cheeseburger. Apparently Zac Robinson’s offense has two reads: Otton, and check whether Otton is open yet. If Otton is consistently the only guy open, maybe the bigger question is WHY the F nobody else is consistently open?! Bucky can turn six yards into sixty. Otton can turn six yards into… seven. Feed the man, Zac. Great idea.
I’m done.
October 6th, 2026 at 5:09 am
We knew this guy was 12 personnel obsessed when he got hired, and all they did was put gloves on Otton and he still sucks.
October 6th, 2026 at 5:50 am
Whats wrong getting the ball to the TE? If he’s open and that’s what the QB decides. Is Otton the first read? I doubt it. Egbuka has been targeted one more time than Otton and has one more drop. Godwin must be getting double teamed. How do you scheme that open if the guy isn’t gifted at defeating double teams? Using an AI query Otton is about 6th in the league amongst TEs for drops of “catchable” passes. And his YAC is better than all TEs except Kelsey. You want the ball to go to Gainwell? Robinson probably has him winged out behind the line anyway! I’m fine with Otton, we’d be watching some eye wateringly boring games without him . Its the design of the offense that’s a mess. And the OC doesn’t choose where to throw. So other teams are shutting down these receivers or the OLine isn’t doing their job and the qb is panicked. Pick the excuse. But I’m happy Otton has at least been productive.
October 6th, 2026 at 5:58 am
My jaw dropped when Licht signed this guy to a $10M/year deal. I was sure he was gone after all of his buffoonery last year. Just goes to show that all Licht cares about are his picks getting highly paid second contracts, performance be damned. If I need a guy to surely kill momentum on a comeback drive, dial up butterfingers Otton for a massive drop, fumble, unforced bobble INT. Probably my most hated player on this team
October 6th, 2026 at 6:09 am
Coaches are digging their graves.
October 6th, 2026 at 6:11 am
Predictable offense that doesn’t mix up the plays well If you run on most every first and second down then defenses don’t have worry about defending the pass
until third down. To be fair Otten has converted many a short sideline pass for a first down
the hard way by going through more than one defender to move the chains.