If the Bucs let Cade Otton walk in free agency, they may already have his replacement in-house.

What happens at tight end will be one of the biggest storylines to follow as it relates to the team’s offensive needs. What Otton is worth on the open market has become a topic of extensive debate. With few upgrades available in free agency and a weak draft class at the position, Tampa Bay could look internally to save money and use its resources to address other positions if the team lets him walk.

Enter Devin Culp.

The 2024 seventh-round pick is heading into his third season determined to be more than just an end-of-roster player. Culp wants to factor into the team’s plans and shared last month with Pewter Report how he is working to do so.

Bucs TE Devin Culp Knows The Importance Of Being A Reliable Set Of Hands

It can be hard for Day 3 draft picks to be given a chance at earning playing time, even if they have the talent to. That helps explain what Devin Culp has gone through during his first two seasons in the NFL with the Bucs. Culp is as athletic as they come at the tight end position, with a 4.47 40-time to prove it.

Even though he has the athletic traits to become a passing game weapon, his opportunities have been extremely limited.

Bucs TE Devin Culp – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Culp has played in 18 games across two years, with much of that coming on special teams. It has been tough sledding for him to carve out any role on offense, with Cade Otton being the iron man that he is there. When Otton has succumbed to minor injuries, it has opened the door just slightly into what the 6-foot-4, 237-pound tight end can do.

After recording an impressive 17.6 yards per catch hauling in five passes for 88 yards at the end of the 2024 season, Culp only had one catch for six yards in 2025. You will not catch him being down about it though, as he described the feeling of catching what was his first career touchdown during locker room clean-up after the 2025 season concluded.

“At the end of the day, I’m very blessed and grateful to be in the position that I am, and I got a lot of talented guys around me,” Culp said when asked about his scarce playing time. “That just kind of comes with the territory. You can’t get too in your feelings about things. When your moments come, you just got to make sure you seize them and make the best of them, because you never know when your number is going to be called, like that night against Atlanta.

“I had no idea. Obviously, Cade was out, so I knew I was going to have some opportunities there to do some things, but not in a million years would I have ever thought when I was 10 years old that I’d be scoring a touchdown. So, it’s just kind of small things like that. You just got to stay ready, so you don’t got to get ready, you know?”

In a very small sample size, Culp has flashed the ability to be the only true vertical threat in the tight end room, and he has proven capable of stretching the field as a pass-catcher.

Bucs TE Devin Culp – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Now, it is time to earn even more trust from Baker Mayfield and the offensive coaching staff. One can imagine him providing a similar skillset to what tight end Kyle Pitts was for new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson in Atlanta.

“I feel like, going forward, it’s just going to be important to [be] as reliable as possible,” Culp said. “That was the number one thing for me coming into the season. Be reliable. Be there for your guys, whatever they need from you, just make sure you’re there and able to do it.”

Devin Culp Knows He Is Not Close To His Ceiling And Is Focused On Growth

Being a starting NFL tight end is more than just catching passes, though.

Case in point – Cade Otton.

While Otton is not flashy, he is the definition of a jack-of-all-trades player who can catch passes and lay key blocks. It did not come immediately and required development and a focus on technique. Otton showcased that it is possible, and Devin Culp could be in line to become an in-line threat in 2026. Stepping into that sizable role will not be easy, and Culp will have to round into a more complete player and improve his blocking.

A noted weakness of his coming into the league was not being a solid blocker, and he recognizes the work that needs to be put in to become one.

Bucs TE Devin Culp and TEs coach Justin Peelle – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“I mean, I’m super excited,” Culp said about the prospect of a bigger role next season. “I’m still young in this, coming up on year three, so I know that the ceiling that I can hit has not even been close to being tested. So, I just want to continue to grow, continue to get better. Bigger, faster, stronger, all those good things going into the next season.

“You know, there’s so much talent around us, how could you not be excited about the team like that? You know what I mean, a lot of a lot of good human beings, most importantly. If everyone just comes with the right attention to detail and right attitude, you can make anything happen.”

Culp is optimistic about the benchmarks he can hit simply through training, and should that translate to developing as a blocker, he could suddenly receive the lion’s share of snaps if Otton departs. Right now, the only tight ends under contract are Culp and Payne Durham, who is in a similar boat of having minimal production (one catch for 11 yards in 2025), mainly serving as a blocker in 12-personnel sets.

Bucs TEs Devin Culp and Payne Durham – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“The goal is always to get bigger and stronger,” Culp added. “The speed is just part of who I am. I don’t think the speed is ever going to leave me, but just for sure want to get stronger… just become as powerful as I can. I’m trying to become a four-down guy. So, it’s like being able to run block more. Just have that physicality and our mindset. To me, that’s my biggest goal is just to get stronger.”

Culp is approaching this offseason with the mindset that he will play more and be a reason the offense’s execution improves.

“No matter what the call is, you’re supposed to make it happen,” Culp said. “I just think that there were a lot of moments where there was a lack of execution [last season]. Things sometimes are out of your control, referees, things like that… At the end of the day, it was just a mess. We didn’t execute.”

To avoid “a mess,” there is plenty of work to do. Devin Culp has a chance to be a part of the process in cleaning things up and blowing his previous production out of the water.

What his role is in 2026 will say a lot about the Bucs’ belief in him to be the main option, or if he is destined to just be a reserve option. Cade Otton’s futurein free agency will determine Culp’s, and the decision that is made will have significant implications for years to come.