Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5 Unsung heroes entering Super Bowl 55

2. Cameron Brate

Cameron Brate became the forgotten man in the tight end room once the Buccaneers traded for Rob Gronkowski. He came back into importance when the team lost O.J. Howard for the season during Week 4.

When looking at Brate’s regular-season numbers they are not great. He only started one game and he only had 28 catches. Part of this is due to Brate being mostly just a receiving tight end. He is also sharing snaps with perhaps the best all-around tight end of all time.

His importance has been in his reliability whenever Tom Brady has looked his way. In 2020 Brate has zero drops. This is something very important for Brady at a position he covets. Brate has not been a Pro Bowler, but Brady knows he can rely on him if he sends the ball his way.

Brate has also been at his best in the playoffs. He has tied season highs for targets in two of three playoff games. He also has had his most yards in those two games. In the other game, he caught one of his three touchdowns on the year. He has been at his best when Brady has needed him the most.

1. Tristan Wirfs

Tristan Wirfs was a first-round pick in the most recent draft. He has lived up to expectations, but not many people have paid attention to the team’s offensive line. Wirfs has been solid all season and started in all 16 regular-season games and the three playoff games.

The transition to the NFL can be hard, but Wirfs has handled it smoothly. Even when other players on the line went through struggles, Wirfs has mainly been steady. He has played in all of the team’s offensive snaps for the full regular and postseason.

More impressively, Wirfs only had four penalties accepted on him all season. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Wirfs also only gave up one sack for the season. Protecting Tom Brady was a big focus for the team and Wirfs was everything the team hoped for at right tackle.