Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roster Reset: Tight Ends

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The Buccaneers did not need to make any additions to the tight end position, but when you have an opportunity to add a Hall of Famer, you do it. In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement and was traded to the Buccaneers. He will be added to a room that was already ranked in the top five of the NFL. Going into this year’s training camp, the Buccaneers will have seven Tight ends on the roster.

The Tight End Room

  1. Anthony Auclair
  2. Cameron Brate
  3. O.J. Howard
  4. Tanner Hudson
  5. Jordan Leggett
  6. Codey McElroy
  7. Rob Gronkowski

If you look at the room as a whole, you will notice one thing. Size. The Buccaneers will have a room that averages 6’5″ in height and 250 pounds. O.J. Howard may be the best of the group, his size and speed create a matchup problem. Howard is faster than most linebackers and bigger than defensive backs giving him an advantage with the ball in the air. Besides those things, Howard is an excellent route runner and knows how to create a throwing lane for his quarterback.

The New Guy

Gronkowski is the recent addition to the Buccaneers’ tight end room. As a Patriot, he played in 115 games, had 521 receptions for 7861 yards, 79 touchdowns and won three Super Bowl rings. Gronkowski will rejoin Tom Brady in Tampa and look to create some of the same success they both enjoyed in New England. Gronkowski poses some of the same issues that Howard has. Both move very well for guys of that size and are bigger than defensive backs. The combination should prove to give defensive coordinators nightmares.

Final Tight End Chart Prediction

  1. O.J. Howard
  2. Rob Gronkowski
  3. Cameron Brate
  4. Anthony Auclair

I believe that once the last cuts are complete, the Bucs will only keep four on the roster. I believe Tanner Hudson has the best chance to be signed to the practice squad. With the injury history of some of the tight ends, Hudson must stay ready for a possible call up to the active roster in the season.

Conclusion

The 2020 Buccaneer tight end room has a variety of players. They all bring a different skill set that will be helpful to the team. The size and speed of the room could lead to a lot of sleepless nights for coaches on the Bucs schedule this season. It would not surprise me if, at seasons end, we are talking about the Bucs tight ends as the best in the entire NFL.

 

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