For most of his career, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Harrison Bryant has been a victim of circumstance.
Bryant was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft and seemed primed to become the featured tight end in that offense one day.
Unfortunately for Bryant, that was around the same time 2017 first round pick David Njoku finally figured things out and became one of the NFL’s elite tight ends.
Still, Bryant had value to NFL teams and seemed like he could play his way into becoming a top tight end for a team. That’s why he signed a 1-year, $3.25 million contract with the Raiders in March 2024.
One month later, the Raiders selected All-American Georgia tight end Brock Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Just 6 games into his NFL career, Bowers leads the Raiders with 37 receptions for 384 yards.
All of that makes Bryant an appealing — and affordable — trade target for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who could give Bryant a shot at being an impact player (finally) and re-team him with the quarterback he played with his first 2 seasons with the Browns in Baker Mayfield.
Bryant Became College Football Legend at FAU
Bryant staked out his claim as one of the greatest tight ends in college football history at Florida Atlantic, where he played from 2016 to 2019.
At FAU, Bryant was a 3-time All-Conference USA selection. In 2019, he became the first player outside the Power Five to win the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top collegiate tight end with 65 receptions for 1,004 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in 13 games.
Playing alongside Njoku on the Browns, Bryant was named to the PFWAA All-Rookie Team in 2020 with 24 receptions for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 4 seasons in Cleveland in a mostly complementary role to Njoku, Bryant had 89 receptions on 128 targets for 791 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
Through 6 games with the Raiders in the 2024 regular season, Bryant has just 5 receptions for 45 yards.
B/R Lists TE as One of Bucs’ ‘Biggest Weaknesses’
Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder listed tight end as one of the Buccaneers’ “biggest weaknesses” headed into Week 7, when they host the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football. At the same time, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox listed Bryant as one of the NFL’s top trade targets on his “NFL Trade Block Big Board” headed into Week 7.
Giving up a 7th round pick in exchange for Bryant seems like it would be a fair trade, and the Buccaneers would only be on the hook for a portion of the $3.25 million Bryant is owed in 2024 and if he performs, would give them an inside track on re-signing him or at the very least, set Bryant up for a bigger deal with another team.
The reason the Buccaneers’ tight ends are cited as a weakness is because they don’t put up big numbers and don’t really account for an opposing team’s game plan. Starting tight end Cade Otton is third on the Buccaneers with 19 receptions for 136 yards and 1 touchdown, but he’s more durable than talented — he’s played in all 39 games with the Buccaneers and has made 25 consecutive starts.
Getting Bryant wouldn’t push Otton out of the offense, either. It would probably serve to enhance it. Backup tight end Payne Durham has just 1 reception for 8 yards through the first 6 games.
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