Baker Mayfield celebrates third-year Buccaneers starter amid Mike Evans, Chris Godwin injuries
As the 2024 NFL season has progressed, it seems like Baker Mayfield has been afforded a weaker and weaker supporting cast with each passing month.
From the loss of Chris Godwin to a season-ending dislocated ankle that required surgery, to a Mike Evans hamstring injury that could keep him out for the next few weeks, Mayfield has been forced to throw to a more and more unfamiliar collection of players with each passing week, with players like 2023 sixth-round pick Trey Palmer and free agent addition Sterling Sheppard.
But the one player who has really stepped up to keep Mayfield matriculating the ball down the field is none other than Cade Otton, the third-year tight end out of Washington who has been the Buccaneers' top target over the last three weeks.
Discussing what he's seen from Otton over the past few weeks and why their connection has grown so strong over that time, Mayfield credited his tight end for the efforts, as he's taken it upon himself to become a force in the Buccaneers' offense.
"It's all Cade. [He's] a special player that [is] so smart, he knows where to be, he knows exactly what we're trying to get done within whatever scheme we're calling, run or pass, and he understands everything," Mayfield told reporters. "Then you add in the physical traits that he has, and he's able to showcase those in the last few weeks, and that's an all-around player that we have."
Asked how Otton has been able to get open for the Buccaneers against multiple different defenses, Mayfield credited his tight end for understanding how to play the position at a high level both against man and zone coverage.
"In man-to-man coverage, he's just doing a good job of winning but in the zone stuff, he's understanding the soft spots in the zones, the timing of where he's at in the progression and that's a big part of it. In this offense right now, we're distributing the ball, trying to get it to everybody and so sometimes they're not keyed in on him. There's a couple third downs where they did double cover him or tried to and so the ball is going to go elsewhere but yeah, he understands where he fits in the progression really well."
With the 2024 NFL trade deadline officially passed, the Buccaneers more or less have the players they were going to roll with down the stretch, their only other avenues to get "better" coming via the practice squad, mid-season free agency, or via the return of Evans. For better or worse, the Bucs are going to need Otton to keep stepping up, a role he appears well-equipped to fill.
Todd Bowles is proud of Cade Otton's efforts for the Buccaneers
Discussing what he's seen from Otton over the past few weeks and how his game has progressed on the field, Todd Bowles credited his third-year tight end for putting in work as a route runner, as his quick maneuvering has made Mayfield's life a whole lot easier after the snap.
"It's really been his route-running. Not that he couldn't do it – I don't think we asked him to do it because we had the other guys out there doing it," Bowles told reporters "So, just asking him to step up more in a receiver role, you really see his route-running prowess and his precision."
