Cameron Brate will push Austin Seferian-Jenkins at TE
asj by anti java, on Flickr(PHOTO BY CLIFF WELCH/ICON SPORTSWIRE)Roy CummingsMay 15, 2016 TAMPA – Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate never really envisioned himself playing in the NFL. Not even when he was on the eve of putting on an NFL uniform for the first time.It was the spring of 2014 and the Harvard graduate was just hours away from taking the field at a Minnesota Vikings rookie minicamp but his mind wasn’t totally on football.It was on art and architecture.That was the last class Brate needed to complete to earn his degree in economics from Harvard and a proctor was coming the evening after that first minicamp workout to administer the final exam.Despite the distractions, Brate passed the exam. He didn’t pass muster with the Vikings, though, and looking back on it now Brate can’t help but wonder if that wasn’t for the best.“It’s been a crazy ride,’’ Brate said of the journey that brought him to Tampa Bay, where he may be on the verge of taking the biggest step yet along his unforeseen path.The Buccaneers won’t kick off their first training camp under new coach Dirk Koetter until late July but Koetter can already tell you who most of his starters on offense will be.The only exceptions are at center, where Koetter wants to see if Evan Smith or maybe even Ali Marpet can prove to be a better option than incumbent Joe Hawley and tight end.That of course is where Brate comes in.Though the Buccaneers spent a second-round draft pick on Austin Seferian-Jenkins two years ago, Koetter isn’t ready to hand the oft-injured University of Washington product a starter’s job just yet. Brate is the reason.A two-time All-Ivy League first-teamer, Brate slowly emerged as one of Winston’s go-to targets last year, eventually finishing his second full season in the NFL with 23 catches (two more than Seferian-Jenkins) for 288 yards and three touchdowns.That has Koetter thinking he may have a better option at the pass-catching tight end spot than Seferian-Jenkins, who first has to prove he can stay healthy and then may have to prove he’s got a better connection with quarterback Jameis Winston than Brate.“Yeah, we talk a lot about chemistry, because you never know how or why certain guys connect, but Jameis and Cam, they really connected last year,’’ Koetter said.“They had a real good feel for each other in the red zone and on seam routes and just all over the field really. And Cam, well, he really made the most of his opportunities.’’Those opportunities almost didn’t come. Awash in tight ends, the Buccaneers cut Brate four days after last-year’s season-opener, a loss to the Titans in which Seferian-Jenkins caught five passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns.It wasn’t long, though, before seller’s remorse set in. Five days after letting go of Brate, who was immediately signed to New Orleans practice squad, Seferian-Jenkins went down late in a Buccaneers victory at New Orleans, which lost Brate to the Buccaneers two days later.Now Koetter can’t envision a Buccaneers roster without Brate on it.“I was worried sick when we had to put Cam on waivers and the Saints claimed him and I was very happy that we were able to get him back,’’ Koetter said. “The more he’s played the better he’s gotten. It’s now at the point where you’re just thankful you got him back.”With the two combatants all but established as pass catchers, the battle between Brate and Seferian-Jenkins for the starter’s job may come down to which one emerges from the offseason workout program and training camp as the more efficient run and pass blocker.Koetter has made no secret of his belief that Seferian-Jenkins blocking skills are underrated. He doesn’t necessarily feel the same way about the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Brate, who will play through the whistle but has yet to develop the proper technique to make him an asset.“I guess I’d just say that he’s improving as a blocker,’’ Koetter said. “He’s had some really good plays at the point of attack, but I would have to say that’s not his strength right now. But he’s definitely developing and he’s a smart kid, a fast learner, so we’ll see.’’ http://www.todayspigskin.com/tampa-bay-buccaneers/cameron-brate-will-push-austin-seferian-jenkins-te/