Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Don’t forget about Cameron Brate
By Ryan Disdier
Don’t sleep on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-year old tight end Cameron Brate in 2017 when talking about their potentially dangerous offense
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a wealth of talent on offense. But despite a very productive 2016, a lot of people are overlooking Cameron Brate, who was a big part of the unit’s 2016 success.
I suppose it makes sense, as the Buccaneers have made vast improvements on offense. The team inked veteran DeSean Jackson, arguably the league’s best deep threat, to a three-year deal in free agency. Additionally, the team drafted Alabama tight end O.J. Howard in the first round. Those two players, combined with the paradoxical Doug Martin and the ultra-charismatic Jameis Winston round out Tampa Bay’s offense.
Or at least that’s what some people think.
Brate, the team’s starting tight end in 2016, remains on the team, and remains a good player. Last year, Brate recorded 660 yards and 57 receptions. Also, Brate led all NFC tight ends with eight touchdowns, and tied Hunter Henry for the most touchdowns among all tight ends. When Tampa Bay is around the goal line, Brate is especially dangerous. With teams having to key in on Evans, and now Howard, Brate gets a chance to utilize his 6-5 frame.
Brate was a flat-out red-zone maven last year. According to the RotoWire staff, all eight of Brate’s touchdowns came inside the 20-yard line, as Winston often looked to Brate to punctuate drives. But Brate is more than just simply a red-zone threat.
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Brate possesses a penchant for making big catches across the middle. Brate actually made some absolutely unreal catches last year. He’s a versatile player, too. Tampa Bay lined him up all over the field last year, including split out and in the slot.
Simply put, just because Tampa Bay added new players doesn’t mean Brate will be phased out entirely. The chemistry he developed with Winston is still there, and he still figures to play a role on offense. In the Bucs’ third preseason game, Winston targeted Brate six times. While Jackson and Evans both missed that game, Winston targeting his big tight end is a good thing.
The new additions will actually likely help Brate. With teams focusing mostly on Jackson, Evans and Howard, Brate will see a fair share of single-coverage looks. It’s not fair to suggest Brate will be the Dallas Clark to Evan’s Marvin Harrison and Jackson’s Reggie Wayne, but it is fair to expect more from the fourth-year tight end than what people think.
Brate certainly isn’t a overly sexy piece in an offense budding with big-play guys. But people are acting like he’s just going to disappear in 2017. In fact, it’s entirely possible Brate is a bigger factor than Howard. Rookie tight ends usually don’t make an enormous impact in year one, so conventional wisdom suggests Brate could be in line for another productive year in Tampa Bay’s offense.
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Furthermore, while NFC South defenses certainly shouldn’t forget about Brate, you definitely shouldn’t either if you have a fantasy football draft coming up. Brate’s unfair depleting value means you’ll likely be able to scoop him up in a later round. He could provide great value to your team, after all.
Despite lacking a big name or flashy personality, Cameron Brate certainly deserves your attention in 2017.