Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Three reasons to hold onto Cameron Brate

His growing rapport with Tom Brady

At this point, it’s pretty safe to assume that nearly everyone is on board with the fact that Tom Brady is the greatest to ever do it. If you’re one of those people that are not, well then you are quite the ninny but your commitment should at the very least be commended.

Anyway, one of the seemingly infinite reasons Brady is considered the greatest is because of the usual lack of firepower he usually has to deal with on his offenses. As such, last year’s (and this year’s with all 22 starters returning) Buccaneers team is one of, if not the most talented supporting casts he’s ever had.

With that being the case, having Brate as a second or third tight end is just fine. This notion that the Buccaneers should look for a younger tight end to groom is certainly valid, but in no way is it a pressing need with Brady. It’s one of the many luxuries a team has when the GOAT is behind center.

The other thing to consider is the growing connection between Brady and Brate. As the season progressed, Brady started targeting Brate more often and seemed to trust his tight end more. As that started happening (amongst others) the team started winning consistently. It isn’t the sole reason, but it’s certainly no coincidence.

Sure, Brate’s stats in the 2020 regular season may not be spectacular, but that isn’t the whole story here…