Pro Football Focus has finished their rankings of the top players at each position group in the NFL and Cade Otton barely makes the cut for tight ends. The grading site has revealed their Top 32 at most positions and Otton brought up the rear, ranking 32nd for the hybrid position.

PFF Thinks Cade Otton Could Be ‘Replaceable’

Author John Kosko notes that while Cade Otton has done solidly in counting stats, he has not been very efficient as a pass catcher writing, “Otton might have recorded over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons, but he’s averaged only 0.91 yards per route run over that span. If he continues to produce at an efficient level, the Buccaneers should look to upgrade at the position for 2025.”

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

While Kosko has a point, he neglects to mention that Otton is has worked in a system that features two of the Top 32 receivers in all of football. That will limit any player’s opportunities, just as it has Otton over his first two years in the league. Simple fact is the offense runs through Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and Otton is merely a late-progression dump-off option most of the time. Including the playoffs last year, Otton averaged 0.94 yards per route run.

Looking at the production for other tight ends working within a similar receiver structure bares similar results. Six other teams had multiple players featured PFF’s top receivers list. The Bears (3), the Dolphins, Bengals, 49ers, Rams and Texans.

The Bears and Texans feature pairings that are just coming together this season. But the Dolphins’ top tight end last year, Durham Smythe averaged 0.87 yards per route run. Tyler Higbee averaged just 1.04 yards per route run for the Rams working alongside Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. Former Buc Tanner Hudson averaged 1.56 yards per route run for the Bengals last year. But that was with Tee Higgins missing five games. George Kittle of the 49ers truly broke the mold averaging 1.99 yards per route run in an offense that tends to break all of the rules.

Much of Otton’s lack of efficiency comes from a reduced target share. Of the 45 tight ends who were targeted at least 30 times last year, Otton ranked 37th in targets as a percentage of routes run (13.21%). Adjusting for that, Otton ranks more middle of the pack in other efficiency metrics. Among that same group of players, he ranked 34th in catch rate (72.4%), but tied for 20th in yards per catch (10.2) and 14th in yards after catch per reception (5.1). These point to a player who should be ranked more top 20-25 than 32nd overall.

Three Teams Have Multiple Tight Ends Ranked Ahead Of Otton

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Baltimore Ravens (Mark Andrews – 3rd, Isaiah Likely – 26th), Chicago Bears (Cole Kmet – 11th, Gerald Everett – 19th) and the Buffalo Bills (Dalton Kincaid – 13th, Dawson Knox – 20th) all had two players make the list over Otton, suggesting that PFF believes Cade Otton is not necessarily a starting-caliber tight end in the NFL.

While Otton is not without his warts (he needs to become a stronger blocker in-line and at the point of attack), I personally think he should rank above other players listed above him such as Taysom Hill, Hayden Hurst and Zach Ertz. Hill because he is more of a gadget player who cannot play a true tight end position and gets lumped into the position group because no one can truly identify him positionally, and Ertz and Hurst as both are on the decline due to age/injury.