Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton will be a free agent this spring, and most Bucs fans are expecting the team to let him walk this year. Otton had a fantastic performance to cap off the 2025 NFL regular season in a do or die game against the Carolina Panthers, but it was probably too little too late, just like the actual win itself was for the Bucs playoff hopes.
Otton had a very disappointing season, all told. Even though he had seven catches on nine targets for 94 yards in that Week 18 matchup and posted a career high 72.8 percent catch rate, Otton's overall numbers were stagnant in year four, and the numbers also do not capture the fact that he was a liability in the blocking game.
The young tight end will likely be looking for more money elsewhere, and that is money the Bucs can easily save this free agent period by letting him walk. And while the Bucs biggest needs in the draft are on the defensive side of the ball, there are some intriguing tight end prospects who could upgrade on Otton and fill out Baker Mayfield's cast of weapons into the league's best with the right pick.
The best in the class is officially available
Top ESPN college football insider Pete Thamel is reporting that the very best tight end in the 2026 NFL Draft class and a player frequently mocked to the Bucs in the first round with the 15th overall pick is headed to the draft officially. Oregon Ducks star tight end Kenyon Sadiq is ready to leave college early and declare following his school's exit to the Indiana Hoosiers in the semifinals of the College Football Playoff.
Sadiq, as Thamel notes, is the No. 10 overall prospect on ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board, and he is the consensus No. 1 tight end among analysts like Kiper. He is the first tight end off the draft board in most mocks, and he was a dominant target for likely No. 2 quarterback prospect Dante Moore with eight touchdown catches to lead all tight ends in college football.
Although Sadiq was not the most efficient pass catcher and is a bit raw, his upside is insane. He is such a strong and explosive player with the athleticism to line up in the slot, and he may already be a better blocker than Cade Otton. There is no doubt that he has more raw talent, upside, and better physical tools in the red zone than Otton, and if the Bucs want a star at the tight end position, the easiest way to make it happen would be to draft Sadiq in round one.