Cade Otton looked a little different when he took the field against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. For once, the Buccaneers tight end was wearing gloves. It may seem like a small change, but considering Otton's history with drops and his preference for playing with his bare hands, it was hard not to notice. It became even more noticeable when Otton made arguably Tampa Bay's best catch of the afternoon, diving to haul in a pass from Baker Mayfield with one hand. The Buccaneers themselves highlighted the play as a diving one-handed catch.
Otton finished the 23 to 19 loss with five catches on six targets for 38 yards, leading Tampa Bay in receptions. He played 58 of the offense's 65 snaps and continued to serve as one of Mayfield's underneath options.
That performance comes after catching issues have followed Otton at different points in his career. He has occasionally dropped passes that appeared to be routine catches, including eight recorded drops during the 2024 season. Even this season, he has already been credited with a drop through the first two games.
During Otton's rookie season in 2022, Tom Brady wanted the young tight end wearing gloves. Otton has since publicly discussed how Brady pushed him to wear them, and he complied while playing alongside the future Hall of Fame quarterback. Once Brady retired, however, Otton eventually went back to playing without them. Playing barehanded essentially became part of Otton's identity. The Buccaneers even highlighted it last season, noting how unusual it was for a starting NFL tight end to catch and block without gloves. But after some frustrating drops over the last few seasons, maybe it was time for another change. One game obviously does not prove gloves have suddenly fixed everything. Otton even fumbled against Cleveland, although Tampa Bay recovered it. But from a pure catching standpoint, he looked comfortable, catching five of his six targets and making a play that required considerably more difficulty than some of the passes he has dropped in the past. Maybe the gloves stay on this time.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Cade Otton finally puts on the gloves
