The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have gone from sellers to buyers at the NFL trade deadline in the span of two weeks. With the potential to win the NFC South now firmly on the table, the team could be eyeing a trade for Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, according to Seth Walder of ESPN.
Walder notes that Goedert would be a clear upgrade over Cade Otton.
“The Buccaneers brought back Cade Otton on a three-year deal, but thus far the results have been disappointing,” wrote Walder. “Otton has managed just 0.9 yards per route run, and his blocking numbers are down, with a run block win rate in just the 19th percentile. Goedert isn’t going to help in the latter area, but he will in the former; he has recorded 1.8 yards per route run.”
Goedert is on a one-year, $7M deal with the Eagles. He has made $65M in his NFL career. Philadelphia is without their starting quarterback for the rest of the season. Their starting right tackle retired. They also traded their starting center for a second-round pick. On top of all of that, they are 2-6 and on a massive losing streak. If anyone is going to listen to calls, it is the Eagles.
The question is how badly the Bucs really need a tight end.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Could Trade for Philadelphia Eagles Tight End Dallas Goedert
While the analytics do not like the play of Otton, Jon Ledyard of the Read Option Podcast noted that Otton was excellent in the Bucs Week 8 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
“Cade Otton played 57 of 60 snaps in the muck. 50 run blocks,” tweeted Ledyard. “Almost all of them pulls or lead blocks. So many huge collisions. So many critical blocks from so many alignments in so many different concepts. If you are scouting TEs in spring, pull up this game as example of a difference-maker who expands the menu for your run game. What a performance, back-to-back weeks.”
If you are scouting TEs in spring, pull up this game as example of a
The Bucs just extended Otton this offseason; he is locked down through 2028. So adding Goedert does not quite make sense from a starting perspective.
The Bucs happen to like the way their depth is developing as well.
Bucs Do Not Need a Tight End
Payne Durham has 176 snaps this season, and the Bucs tend to like him as a backup tight end. He has started to play more in Week 5, and that is when the Bucs’ season turned around. The team has also seen rookie sixth-round pick Bauer Sharp take steps at tight end as well
Sharp has just 57 snaps, but 35 of them came in the Bucs’ past two games. Tampa Bay won both games and ran behind Sharp, who has been a strong run blocker.
It makes sense because Goedert is a good name, and the Bucs three tight ends are not fantasy football threats. However, the Bucs trading for Goedert would be surprising, even if they are tied to each other by an ESPN analyst.
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