TE Linked To Bucs As A Fit In Free Agency

Although draft season is upon us and there will continue to be several mock drafts, the legit prep work for the Bucs’ draft this year may change depending on what they do in free agency first. Remember, free agency begins at the start of the new league year in March, so whatever position Tampa Bay signs then would make them less likely to draft a player at the same spot in April.

While tight end is not an immediate need for the Bucs, it should wouldn’t hurt to boost up the overall depth in the room. That’s what makes it intriguing from this pff.com article from Brad Spielberger highlighting the best tight end fits for other teams in his overall top 150 free agent rankings.

Coming in at 119, Spielberger looks at former Dolphins and Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki as a fit to return to the state of Florida and play for the Bucs. This is what he had to say:

“The Buccaneers’ 48.1% red-zone conversion rate in 2023 ranked 28th despite the presence of a lot of big-bodied pass catchers, but here they add another who can be flexed out wide or be used in his standard role as the big slot. Gesicki is not a blocker, but this move has some shades of Cameron Brate’s role in Tampa’s offense back in the day as the move tight end who always saw targets on third downs and in the red zone.”

Gesicki recorded 244 receiving yards and two touchdowns in New England last season. His best year came in 2021 for Miami when he racked up 780 receiving yards. Although he had two scores that season, he upgraded that to five touchdowns the year after. He’s certainly more well known as a receiving tight end. There could be some concern about a dip in numbers over the last two seasons and that could mean Gesicki is on the decline, but one could also argue that the Patriots’ offense was a mess and his final year with the Dolphins Tua Tagovailoa missed significant time, meaning Skylar Thompson had to take over at quarterback.

Even with lesser numbers than usual, Gesicki put up way more production than any other Bucs’ tight end not named Cade Otton. It makes sense that it would be pointed out that Gesicki could play a “Cam Brate role” as Brate made his bread and butter in Tampa Bay from 2014 to 2022 by scoring in the red zone, which the Bucs’ struggled in last year. Brate is fourth all time amongst Bucs’ receiving touchdowns with 33.

Bucs’ Tight End Room

It’s fair to say that there’s more to be desired from the Bucs and their tight ends. Cade Otton definitely made a step forward making 47 catches for 455 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also had a knack for having clutch moments, which included socring the game winning touchdown in a much needed win over the Falcons in Week 13 and recording his best game of the season in the playoffs going for eight receptions for 89 yards in a Wildcard win over the Eagles.

Bucs TE Cade Otton – Photo by: USA Today

With that said, Otton probably works best as a TE2 since he’s struggled as a blocker and has been inconsistent as a pass catcher. Otton can make the catch when he’s wide open, but tends to find difficulty making tougher receptions when defenders are on him.

Ko Kieft is as much of a fullback as he is a tight end. He made one catch on the season, but it was for a touchdown. It’s still early to make a determination on Payne Durham after his rookie season, though his five catches for 58 yards on the season isn’t anything to write home about.  David Wells got in for fives games last year and ended up with negative yardage.

The Bucs could really use some more production from their tight ends. With new offensive coordinator Liam Coen, we could be seeing a lot more two-tight end sets. Gesicki wouldn’t provide anything as a blocker, but getting another big bodied target at the position could really help improve their red zone efficiency and take some of the pressure off of Otton.

For more from Spielberger, check out who he has as the top 150 free agent rankings.