The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did little to inspire confidence in their fan base for the 2026 season by bringing back veteran tight end Cade Otton on a 3-year, $30 million contract on March 9 rather than letting either side test the free agent market.
Drafting a tight end early in the 2026 NFL draft might assuage some of those concerns.
“Georgia TE Oscar Delp will finish out a long list of visits by having Top 30s with the Bucs and Chargers this week,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “He had Patriots, Ravens, and Vikings last week.”
Delp, 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, spent his 1st 2 seasons playing behind Las Vegas Raiders tight end and NFL All-Pro Brock Bowers. In the last 2 seasons without Bowers, Delp did little to distinguish himself, including just 20 receptions for 268 yards and 1 touchdown in 2025.
Still, Delp is projected as a 3rd or 4th round pick by NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein.
“Delp is a fluid athlete with the forward lean, short-area quickness and pure speed to beat linebackers on intermediate routes,” Zierlein wrote. “His soft hands and smooth catch skills show up on the move, though his short arms and inconsistent finish through contact limit his reliability. He has enough toughness and technique to help in the run game as he improves his strength. Delp projects as a Day 3 prospect with three-down potential and untapped upside as a pass catcher.”
Second TE Prospect in 1 Week to Visit Bucs
Delp was the 2nd tight end prospect to visit with the Buccaneers in the last week, following record-setting University of Cincinnati tight end Joe Royer.
“Another day another 30 Visit & another TE?!!” NFL reporter Jace Allen wrote on his official X account on Tuesday. “Bucs are hosting Cincinnati TE Joe Royer on an official 30 visit, per sources. Royer marks the 4th TE the Bucs have brought in behind Oscar Delp, Villari, and Mas Klare. At 6’5, 247 he has good size and soft hands but needs work as a blocker.”
NFL Insiders Praised Bucs for Otton Contract
While the Buccanneers’ fans seemed less-than-enthused over Otton’s new contract, several NFL insiders praised the move.
“BREAKING: The Bucs are re-signing TE Cade Otton, per sources,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account. “Otton has put up 207 receptions, 2,018 yards and 11 TDs in four years with Tampa Bay. A very underrated TE.”
Signing Otton actually prevented the Buccaneers from losing almost half of their receiving production from 2025 in a single day after longtime wide receiver Mike Evans signed a 3-year, $42.2 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
“One of a number of good tight ends on the free agent market,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter said after Otton signed and before news of Evans’ signing broke. “The Buccaneers might lose Mike Evans … so they want to make sure they don’t lose more weapons.”
Otton was a 4th round pick (No. 104 overall) out of the University of Washington in the 2022 NFL draft and played out his 4-year, $4.49 million rookie contract.
NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal ranked Otton as the No. 18 available free agent in his Top 101 free agent rankings.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Bucs Circling 6-foot-5, 245-Pound TE With ‘Untapped Upside’ appeared first on Heavy Sports.