PFF names top five grade Buccaneers vs. Panthers
By Cory Kinnan
3. TE Cameron Brate
What has been well documented to start this season is the rough start to the season for third year tight end O.J. Howard; he fumbled a ball in week one and had a ball go through his hands that led to an interception against the Niners. This week, Howard dropped a few more passes, struggled to block the Panthers’ pass rush, surrendering a sack.
As Howard has been struggling, veteran tight end Cameron Brate has been thriving to start the season for the Buccaneers and continues to be one of Winston’s favorite targets to throw to. He comes in as the third highest graded player from Thursday’s game for the pewter and red, with a score of 77.3.
In week one, Brate had two touchdowns called back on the same drive due to holding calls on right tackle Demar Dotson, including a beautiful toe touching grab in the back of the endzone. While he has only tallied four catches for 18 yards in two games this season, Brate has been dependable when running decoy routes to free up other receivers, and has been a better option in blocking than Howard has been for the Buccaneers.
Expect Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to continue to use two tight end sets to keep Howard out there as a mismatch in coverage, while giving Winston a trusted security blanket to throw to if needed. Brate has outperformed the high-profile Howard to this point and has proven why the Buccaneers did not part ways with him this offseason.