Cade Otton

Tampa Bay Buccaneers·#88

Pos TEHt 6'5"Wt 250 lbExp 4 yrCollege Washington

Updated September 21, 2026

TE rankings →

Model Score

80.5 MODEL

2022

79.0

2023

80.8

2024

84.5

2025

80.5

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

Season Stats · 1 games

Rec

Rec Yds

Rec TD

Targets

26.0

Yds/Gm

5.6

Fantasy PPG

Advanced Metrics EPA & Next Gen Stats

0.445

EPA / target

4.1 yd

Avg separation

6.6 yd

Avg cushion

-0.2

YAC over exp

60.0%

Catch %

Draft & College

Round 4, pick 106 · Tampa Bay Buccaneers · 2022

Washington (Pac-12)

Taken

#106

where he actually went

Our college model

#22

among TE in our college data

In college · 2018-2021 · 32 games

90 rec, 1,038 yds, 8 TD, 11.5 yds/rec

Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.

Comps

College career

his college career vs theirs

Matt Lauter72%Derek Smith69%R.J. Maryland68%

STM Take

The 2024 tier 3 (#12) finish was the proof he can produce TE2 numbers when injuries open the target tree, but the 2025 tier 7 (#27) regression confirms the floor when the Evans/Godwin/Egbuka room is healthy. Wk 18 22.4 PPR was the lone meaningful 2025 game; six other weeks scored under 7 PPR. He is a stable depth piece whose ceiling depends on the WR room thinning.

Otton came out of Washington as Tampa Bay's 4th-round pick (106th overall) in 2022 after a senior season that produced 28 catches for 322 yards. He inherited the starting TE role after Cameron Brate's departure and held it through three NFL seasons. His 2024 tier 3 #12 finish was the breakout: 59 catches, 600 yards, and 4 TDs while Mike Evans missed multiple games. The 2025 tier 7 #27 finish reflects the room healthier and the offensive coordinator turnover after Liam Coen's departure.

Strengths

2024 tier 3 (#12) finish (59 catches, 600 yards, 4 TDs) confirms the TE2 ceiling when injuries open the target tree. Three straight seasons as the Buccaneers' starting TE.
Wk 18 2025's 22.4 PPR and Wk 10's 17.2 show the spike-week ceiling remains available. Pass-protection grades are above the league average.

Concerns

Six 2025 weeks under 7 PPR (2.9, 3.5, 4.8, 4.9, 6.1, 7.3) confirms the floor when Evans, Godwin, and Egbuka are healthy.
Tampa Bay's WR depth chart (Evans, Godwin, Egbuka, Mike Williams) plus the 2025 OC turnover means his target share is structurally compressed.

What to watch: Whether the Buccaneers' 2026 offensive identity under the new OC commits to two-TE personnel groupings, the only structural change that opens his target ceiling.