Cade Otton
Otton is Tampa Bay's every-down tight end and a steady underneath target, but his Week 6 line (one catch on two targets for four yards) came with a rookie quarterback and a weak passing offense.
Role
He is the starting tight end and has played near-every snap. Rotowire, via CBS Sports, has him at 58 of 65 snaps in Week 2 and 56 of 57 in Week 1. NBC Sports noted that he led the Bucs in routes in Week 3. His targets by week were 5, 6, 6, 6, 4 and then 2. He had three to five catches in each of the first five games. ESPN's Week 6 note has him with no touchdowns this season and under 40 yards in five of six games. The Bucs' preseason depth showed rookie Bauer Sharp and Devin Culp behind him, but I found no current reporting of either one taking snaps from him. I could not confirm whether Mayfield has returned from the thumb injury. Rotowire said on Sep 29 that he was expected to miss at least three weeks, and Jalon Daniels started in Week 6.
The snap share is about as secure as any tight end's. Bucs Report (Oct 15) called him a dependable middle-of-the-field option for Daniels, and he has had four to six targets in most games. Week 6 may be an outlier: Daniels threw 43 passes, and Otton saw only two of them (4.7 percent, per ESPN). If the offense throws that much again, a bounce-back in targets is plausible.
The role is volume without much upside. Rotowire has his average depth of target around 6 yards, and Fox Sports calls him a third or fourth option who has never been a major red-zone target. ESPN's Week 6 note calls him a low-floor option best left on waivers. He has no touchdown this year, and the offense is struggling with a rookie undrafted quarterback.
Where analysts split
Broad agreement on the role: he is the starting tight end who plays nearly every snap. The only open question is whether Week 6 was a one-game dip or a lasting drop in targets under Daniels. Bucs Report expected 5 to 8 targets before that game, while ESPN's post-game note is dismissive. I found no analyst arguing either side in depth.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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