Cameron Brate News

Brate, who played nine seasons for the Buccaneers, is coming off a campaign in which he caught 20 passes for 174 yards in 11 games. In the wake of the 31-year-old's departure, 2022 draftees Cade Otton and Ko Kieft now currently top Tampa Bay's tight end depth chart.

Brate was entering the final year of his contract in Tampa Bay and was set to count close to $5 million against the cap. The release will clear $2.03 million, leaving behind $2.955 million in dead money. The 31-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with the Bucs but had an eight-year-low 20 catches for 174 scoreless yards in 11 games last season.

Brate logged his second-lowest snap count from scrimmage since 2016, participating on 342 offensive plays overall. The veteran tight end's reception and receiving yardage tallies were also his lowest since his 2014 rookie season, and the campaign also qualified as his first without a touchdown reception since that year as well. Brate carries a reasonable enough 2023 cap number of just under $5 million per OverTheCap.com, but it remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old will be deemed worthy of a roster spot with rookie Cade Otton having demonstrated the ability to handle primary pass-catching duties at the position.

Brate played the most offensive snaps of any Buccaneers tight end Sunday, but he was a complete non-factor in the contest. The veteran's 49 percent snap percentage was his highest since Week 12. Brate has just not been a major part of Tampa Bay's offensive game plan this season, as rookie Cade Otton has emerged as the top pass-catching option at tight end. The veteran will look to get more involved in the wild card round of the playoffs, as the Buccaneers will host the Cowboys on Monday night.

Brate had played just eight snaps in the Week 16 overtime win against the Cardinals and is now a relatively surprising healthy scratch Sunday. In his stead, rookie Cade Otton will serve as the clear top pass-catching option at tight end, while veteran Kyle Rudolph and fellow first-year pro Ko Kieft will rotate behind him, primarily as blocking options.

Brate was outpaced by rookie position mate Cade Otton significantly in snaps, as the latter logged 60 more plays from scrimmage than the veteran. The disparity came abruptly considering Brate had just been in on 19 plays to Otton's 48 in Week 15 against the Bengals and recorded a pair of receptions on four targets. Little-used veteran Kyle Rudolph and rookie Ko Kieft were also active Sunday and saw 11 and 14 snaps, respectively, so perhaps Brate's reduced opportunity was simply the result of a one-week glut at tight end.