Otton confident of key role in attack vox888

vox888 Cade Otto is confident he can handle a Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense without wide receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. vox888

Cade Otton, 25, is ready to step up and play a key role for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after losing key wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to long-term injuries, with the latter already out for the season, NFL Network reports.

Otton, a former fourth-round draft pick in the 2022 class, has caught 25 passes for 258 yards and three touchdowns in his last three games after becoming a top target for quarterback Baker Mayfield.

“It’s all Cade,” Mayfield said of the 25-year-old wide receiver. “He’s a very special player. He knows where he needs to be. He knows what we’re trying to do with our game plan, whether it’s running or throwing, and he understands all of that. Then you add the physicality he has, and he’s been able to show that the last few weeks, and that’s the kind of versatile player we have.”

Otton has proven himself as one of the league’s top wide receivers. He can run routes and adjust to find weaknesses in zones over the last three games, and he has teamed up well with Mayfield.

“It’s really just his route running,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “It’s not that he can’t do it. I don’t think we’re asking him to do it because we’ve got other guys who can do it. So just asking him to step up and play more as a receiver, you can see his route running ability and his accuracy.”

“Football intelligence helps a lot,” Mayfield added. “At this level, obviously you have to be physically gifted, but intelligence takes you to another level, and Cade has that. Like I said, he understands what we’re trying to do and understands the concepts and everything other guys are doing. He knows where he fits in and how to embrace opportunities.” ( vox888 )