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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will enter a new era in 2022, which means the roster will look different.
As the Buccaneers enter a post-Tom Brady era this offseason, the biggest thing on their priority list will be finding a new franchise quarterback. It’s unclear which direction the Bucs will head towards as they look for their new quarterback, but one can safely assume it’ll likely be a veteran via free agency or trade.
The Buccaneers enter the offseason with $18 million in cap space. While that number isn’t too bad (it ranks 16th in in the NFL), that just isn’t a lot of money when it comes to acquiring a franchise quarterback. Keep in mind that a middle-of-the-pack starting QB such as the Cleveland Browns‘ Baker Mayfield earns just a shade under $19 million in 2022.
That’s not even factoring in that Tampa Bay will aim to re-sign key free agents such as running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Chris Godwin in the offseason. That means the Bucs will have to clear up cap space and the easiest way to do that is cut veterans currently under contract.
According to Bleacher Report’s Joe Tansey, one player the Bucs should consider cutting is tight end Cameron Brate. Brate is one of the longest-tenured players on Tampa Bay’s roster, having initially been signed by the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Outside of a few days spent with the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad in 2015, Brate has been a member of the Buccaneers during his entire career.
While that’s a nice tidbit about Brate, he hasn’t been a productive tight end in years. Although he’s a clear backup to starter Rob Gronkowski, the 30-year-old tight end is actually the eighth-highest paid player on the team at a cap hit of just under $7.3 million.
Why Bucs Should Cut Brate
“Cameron Brate totaled more than 300 receiving yards once in the past four seasons,” says Tansey.
“That is not good enough for a 30-year-old tight end with a base salary of $6.5 million for the 2022 campaign.
Brate’s production was stunted over the past two seasons by Rob Gronkowski’s presence, but he still produced around the same amount of receiving yards and touchdowns as he did in the two seasons prior to Gronk’s arrival.
Tampa Bay can save $5.3 million in salary-cap space if it cuts Brate during its offensive rebuilding.
That money could open up the potential to re-sign Chris Godwin to a larger deal or it could provide the Bucs with more space to bring in younger options on team-friendly deals.
Brate’s release would come with just a $1.9 million salary-cap hit, which is more than worth it to open up around $5 million in cap space.”
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Brate Ranks as Lower-Tier Tight End
The Buccaneers will enter free agency with Rob Gronkowski and O.J. Howard also entering free agency. Gronkowski may be a question mark to return due to his possible retirement. Regardless of what transpires with Gronkowski, Tampa Bay should not enter the 2022 season with Brate as their starting tight end at a $7.3 million cap hit.
In Brate’s three starts for the injured Gronkowski, he failed to produce, posting just five receptions on 13 targets (just a 38.4% catch rate) for one touchdown.
Painting a further picture of how much of a non-factor Brate was in the receiving game is his 57.2 offensive grade, ranking 52nd of 70 qualifying tight ends, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Buccaneers need to save money as they look to acquire a new quarterback and re-sign key players. Cutting Brate is the easiest decision Tampa Bay could make in order to make that happen this offseason.
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Buccaneers Urged to Cut Former Offensive Starter in 2022