In a Thursday column on PewterReport.com, two Pewter Reporters will debate a Bucs topic with different viewpoints. Which Pewter Reporter wins the debate? You get to decide in the comments section below.

This week’s topic: Is Cade Otton The Right TE1 For The Bucs?

Point: Cade Otton Is Solid, But The Bucs Can Do Better

By Matt Matera

Bucs tight end Cade Otton has been a good player for this team. It was tremendous value for Tampa Bay that a fourth-round pick of theirs became a starter and eventually got a second contract. But how much better will Otton get? I don’t think much more. This is a player who didn’t score a touchdown until the last game of the season and had the same number as left tackle Tristan Wirfs and fourth-stringer tight end Devin Culp. Have we forgotten the egregious drops he’s had, either?

Bucs TE Cade Otton and Rams CB Cobie Durant – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay’s offense needs more diverse weapons this year after losing their legendary wide receiver, Mike Evans. They’re going to need more help in the red zone, and that’s where typically the tight end comes in. The Bucs also need another player who can create mismatches for offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and his schemes. That’s why I like the idea of the Bucs drafting Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq in the first round and bumping Otton to TE2.

Sadiq is the number one tight end in this year’s draft class and could be available when the Bucs are on the clock at 15. He ran a 4.39, 40-yard dash. That’s incredible for the position he plays! Sadiq is an explosive route runner and a playmaker having been the top target at Oregon last season. He also knows how to work in an offense that has lots of talent around it.

A willing blocker, Sadiq isn’t at the stature of Otton in that department just yet, but he’s hard nosed with it and will continue to get better. Having a combination of Sadiq and Otton would do wonders for the Bucs this season and give another target for Baker Mayfield to throw to.

Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq – Photo by: IMAGN Images – Ben Lonergan

Of course, detractors will say that defense is the first priority of Tampa Bay. But as we’ve seen from Jason Licht, they will take the best player available and not defer from their plan. Just like we saw when they drafted Emeka Egbuka last season, there are plenty of other rounds to get defensive players. The Bucs can still address edge rusher and inside linebacker in other rounds while still improving the offense. An addition of Sadiq to put with Otton would be big this year for the Tampa Bay offense.

Counterpoint: Cade Otton Does It All, And He Does It All Pretty Damn Well

By Bailey Adams

I may not be on Josh Queipo’s level as a Cade Otton defender, but I’m a Cade Otton defender nonetheless. We’re talking about a guy who is a complete tight end, and if you’re going to ask me whether a complete tight end is the right No. 1 tight end for the Bucs, I’m going to say yes, of course.

This is a player who has averaged 505 yards per season over his first four NFL seasons and had 10 touchdowns over his first three seasons before dipping to a career low of only one last year. This is also a player who has developed into a very good blocker and is willing to do the dirty work whenever he’s asked to. He’s someone you don’t have to consider taking off the field in certain situations, and that’s clear considering the way the Bucs use him. Otton is the offense’s iron man for a reason.

The drops/no gloves thing? Yes, Otton struggled with drops at times during his first three seasons. PFF had him down for three in 2022, four in 2023 and a career-high of seven in 2024. But in 2025? Otton finished the year with a career-low two drops. His 3.3% drop percentage was the lowest of his career, and that wasn’t due to a significant drop in target share or anything, either. His 80 targets kept with where he was in 2024 (86 targets) and 2023 (also 86). So, the idea that Otton dropped everything last year is more anecdotal than statistical. The drop-turned-pick six (which was a questionable call, mind you) is the moment people remember. Not much else.

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

The other big criticism Otton gets is that he’s not a special type of playmaker or major mismatch. What I have to say to that is that he doesn’t have to be, at least not in this Tampa Bay offense. Playing in a unit that, even without Mike Evans, still features Chris Godwin Jr., Jalen McMillan, Emeka Egbuka, Tez Johnson, David Sills V, Bucky Irving, Kenny Gainwell and Sean Tucker means all Otton needs to be is a reliable outlet. And he’s certainly that, if not more.

Remember when the receiving corps was depleted in mid-2024 and Otton stepped up with eight, nine and eight catches over a three-game stretch for 100, 81 and 77 yards with three touchdowns during that span? He essentially had to be the Bucs’ No. 1 receiver at that time, and he handled it well. Baker Mayfield trusted him then, and he trusts him now. Like I said, he can do it all, and he can do it all pretty well.

Could Kenyon Sadiq be an upgrade? As a playmaker and mismatch for opposing defenses, sure, but definitely not as a blocker right away – or maybe ever. Drafting Sadiq at 15 would, in a lot of ways, be solving a problem that doesn’t exist. I’m not even an anti-BPA (best player available) guy, but going tight end in the first round given the state of the roster? That would be a poor allocation of precious resources. With their first-round pick, the Bucs need to address their real problems, which exist on defense.