The Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing attack was supposed to lead the way for the organization this season, as fans were salivating over the prospect of a motivated Baker Mayfield slinging the ball all over the field to Chris Godwin Jr., Emeka Egbuka, Ted Hurst, Jalen McMillan, Tez Johnson, Cade Otton, and even Kenny Gainwell out of the backfield.
Tampa was supposed to have an embarrassment of riches on the offensive side of the ball for new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson to work with, but what has really happened is the Bucs are trying to avoid throwing the ball in order to win. Both of their wins this season came with a heavy dose of Bucky Irving and Friends, including last weekend in a 43-13 blowout win over the Carolina Panhters in which the Bucs ran the ball 81 percent of the time.
The quarterback situation has been a problem with Mayfield playing poorly even when he was healthy, while his backup Jalon Daniels was about as effective of a game manager as an undrafted rookie could be, which is both a compliment to him and a brutal bit of criticism of the reality of the situation. If Tampa Bay is going to get the passing game back on track, they need Cade Otton to step up.
Cade Otton is the X-Factor for the Bucs offense in Week 8
With Egbuka is ruled out injured again, and Godwin's underwhelming performance throughout the season, the door could be open for Otton to emerge as Baker Mayfield's top target and the offense's X-Factor against the Falcons.
The Bucs paid him a robust three-year, $30 million contract in free agency, and there was hope that Zac Robinson, who heavily utilizes his tight ends, could get more out of him.
And in a way, he has. Otton looked amazing as a run blocker in the win over Carolina, and he has shown a level to his game as a blocker that was not there in the past seasons. Robinson and the Bucs are going to need that as they try to ground and pound their way to victory again in another tough NFC South battle. But they are also going to need Otton to be a bigger presence in the passing game.
My goodness. This Cade Otton blocking tape from yesterday is a CLINIC. This man was putting up impact blocks against Devin Lloyd, Patrick Jones, Derrick Brown, Tre'von Moehrig, you name it. What a game
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) October 26, 2026
With 6.2 yards per target, Otton is the least efficient pass catcher in the Bucs offense besides Emeka Egbuka, and that's a mark that needs to change. Otton only catches 63 percent of the passes thrown his way, which is poor for a safety valve. There are ingredients there, but the Bucs need Otton to provide more upside in the passing game to complement his blocking.
The Falcons have been shredded by tight ends the last two weeks, with George Kittle and Colston Loveland both having big games against the Dirty Birds. If Otton could follow suit and deliver his best game of the season, it would go a long way toward helping Tampa Bay pull off a big win.
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