Buccaneers: Comparing the current team to the 2002 champions
TIGHT ENDS
2002: Ken Dilger and Rickey Dudley
During the 2002 season that tight ends were not a focal point of the offense and were mainly blocking tight ends.
Ken Dilger was the leading tight end amassing 34 catches on 48 targets for 329 yards (9.7 yards/catch) and two touchdowns.
Second tight end Rickey Dudley had a total of sixteen catches on 26 targets for 192 yards (12 yards/catch) and three touchdowns.
Both tight ends accounted for 14% of the total offensive yardage and 22% of the total passing touchdowns.
2017: Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard
Cameron Brate was the number two target for Jameis Winston during the 2016 season amassing 57 catches on 81 targets for 660 yards (11.8 yards/catch) and eight touchdowns (lead NFL in TDs for TE), and accounted for 16% of the total offensive yardage and 28% of the total passing touchdowns.
Although Tampa Bay wasn’t necessarily looking for a tight end in this year’s draft, they could not pass one up when the top tight end in the draft fell all the way down to them at nineteen, so they selected O.J. Howard without even thinking twice about it.
Howard comes to the team rated by ProFootballFocus (PFF) as one of the best tight ends at blocking and running deep routes:
The No. 1 tight end on our board, O.J. Howard, goes to the Buccaneers with the 19th pick. #NFLDraft
— PFF (@PFF) April 28, 2017
Profile: https://t.co/F3XMReNMUe pic.twitter.com/mqur9N7ThS
O.J. Howard's ability to make plays downfield adds another dimension to the Tampa Bay tight ends in 2017 pic.twitter.com/4eHKQf1kXi
— PFF (@PFF) May 25, 2017
In Koetter’s offense the tight end is used more effectively than in Gruden’s style of offense plus the talent of the tight ends is much better in the 2017 NFL.