Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Veterans to trade away

TE Cameron Brate

Tight end Cameron Brate is the first veteran on the team who should be traded. While second on the depth chart, Cameron Brate has played like the TE1 so far this season because of O.J. Howard‘s use as more of a blocker than a receiver. Howard has 60 more yards than Brate on one more catch but Cameron Brate does have 2 touchdowns on the year.

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Regardless of stats it can be very quickly surmised that the tight ends are being under-utilized in the pass game for the new offense under Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich despite their almost constant presence on the field. This stands to reason that Brate or Howard is worth moving on from, especially due to the other two tight ends on the roster, and the Bucs have already made it very clear that they are not getting rid of Howard.

The Bucs go-to grouping is 12 personnel (1 running back, 2 tight ends, and 2 receivers) meaning the Bucs need to have at least three competent tight ends on the roster at any time so that there can be two starters and one backup in case of emergency or for 13 (1 running back, 3 tight ends, 1 receiver) and 23 personnel groupings (2 running backs and 3 tight ends). The Bucs are in a unique situation where they have three solid receiving tight ends between O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, and Tanner Hudson, while also having a competent blocking tight end that can also catch in the form of Antony Auclair.

Hudson was one of the best Buccaneers in the preseason and has shown that he has a high upside relative to his low price tag and may be able to move into the TE2 spot if given the reps. Cameron Brate plays at a high level but also has a very high price tag.

Brate is a talented player but his price is just far too high relative to his production and his position on the team. If the Bucs were able to move off of this contract they could be far better prepared for the 2020 season and could begin to develop more depth as far as Hudson and Auclair are concerned. In addition to all of this, Brate is also one of the vets on the Bucs with the best chance of getting decent compensation from other trades and could garner a mid round pick or a higher one if a team is in dire need of a tight end.