The Bucs’ tight end room is in a unique spot. O.J. Howard left to sign with Buffalo in free agency, while Rob Gronkowski is still undecided about his future.

That leaves veteran Cameron Brate as the elder statesman of the group. The longtime Buc is joined by Codey McElroy, as well as rookies Cade Otton, Ko Kieft, J.J. Howland and Ben Beise. This isn’t the first time Brate has been the oldest guy in the room, which he talked about on Tuesday after the team’s first OTA practice.

“It’s definitely a different perspective. You know, I’ve kind of been in this spot before. Before Gronk came, I was the old man in the tight end room for a couple of years,” Brate said. “Then, Gronk came and he was like ‘Grandpa Gronk.’ Now, I’m back in that role.”

Of course, there’s still a chance “Grandpa Gronk” returns for another year with Tampa Bay. But in the event that he doesn’t, the Bucs will have to move forward with a young crop of tight ends — and Brate. Entering his ninth NFL season, the man who ranks No. 3 on the franchise’s all-time receiving touchdowns list will have to assume a bigger leadership role.

Brate, Howland Share Similar Stories

Building relationships with new teammates is part of the reason why being present for optional OTAs is so valuable. Brate said he spoke with Howland, an undrafted free agent out of Yale who made the team as a tryout player, on Tuesday. And he’s already thrown some banter the rookie’s way.

Bucs TE J.J. Howland – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

After learning from the media that Howland wore his No. 84 during last week’s tryout, Brate joked that the two will have to discuss the matter. The former Harvard man also made a dig at the rookie’s Ivy League school.

“He wore 84? Gonna have to talk to him about that,” Brate said with a laugh. “(He) made a couple mental mistakes in meetings today and I got on him about that. You know, Yale, obviously (a) secondary school to Harvard.”

Joking aside, Brate noted how cool of a story Howland has. It’s very similar to his own journey to the NFL. Both players went from undrafted free agents out of Ivy League schools to making Tampa Bay’s roster through tryouts.

“He’s a good kid,” Brate said. “I’ll be there to mentor him to the best of my ability.”

Brate Looks For Kieft To Be His ‘Protector’

Brate and Kieft, the team’s sixth-round pick, are cut from different cloths. The former has made his money in the NFL as a pass-catching tight end, while the latter totaled just 12 catches in five years at Minnesota. Kieft is a mauler whose value clearly comes as a blocking tight end.

Brate said Tuesday that Kieft’s attitude and skill set could make him a good complement to the tight end group. He even likened him to former Bucs teammate Luke Stocker.

“I saw him at practice today and yeah, we’re definitely different players, me and Ko,” Brate said. “You can kind of tell he’s got a little edge to him. I really like having guys like that in the room. Luke Stocker was kind of like my protector when it was me and Luke on the field together back in the day. So, I’m kind of hoping Ko is that guy for me.”

That intense attitude of Kieft’s was already on display during the first day of OTAs. And that gave Brate a chance to step in and provide the veteran wisdom and leadership the newcomers will be needing as they transition into the NFL.

“He let a ball get away from him and it looked like he was just gonna blow a gasket. I was like ‘Hey, Ko, man, it’s the first practice, all right? It’s gonna happen,’” Brate said. “You can tell he loves football and he’s definitely gonna be a good guy to have in the locker room.”