Despite the fact that Cameron Brate is having a very quite season in a wide-open Buccaneers tight end room, the team still plays him over Cade Otton.
Most teams would not miss the presence of a rookie tight end at this point, however, the Buccaneers are far from what one would expect as normal after their first eleven games.
At five and six, the Bucs have been massive under-performers this year. Injuries have played a role as has the departure of several key players, but even that shouldn’t be enough when you have guys like rookie tight end Cade Otton stepping up.
Otton was able to make a name for himself during the stretch where Cameron Brate was out with an injury, but the return of Brate has led to a steady decrease in the usage of Otton. This is a mistake.
Cameron Brate has not been playing well this season. His career has been on a slight decline for a few years now, but even this (and understanding that injuries play a role) has been very disappointing.
It doesn’t make sense that the Bucs have gone back to Brate over Otton just because he is healthy, yet here we are wondering what the Hell the coaching staff is doing yet again.
It’s getting ridiculous at this point. Otton has more than earned his role as the starter on this offense, even if the offense as a whole is playing poorly. Otton has done everything right to change the expectations on what a rookie should be able to do at such a difficult position, but even that hasn’t been enough to help Todd Bowles and Byron Leftwich make one smart decision.
The Bucs are failing a rookie that is very talented and has a bright future ahead. This needs to change immediately. Get Brate off the field and get Otton back on it.
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