RADIO
Cameron Brate 2019 Player Outlook: No Longer Tampa’s Top Tight End
6 years agoThere are not many tight ends in the NFL who can say they scored 20 touchdowns over the past three seasons. Count Brate as one of them. 2018 was a disappointing season for Brate, however, as O.J. Howard surpassed him as Tampa Bay’s top tight end and will receive more playing time and targets from QB Jameis Winston than Brate will again this year. Even when Howard missed the final six games of last season with foot and ankle injuries, Brate failed to have one game with 40 receiving yards. He enters the 2019 campaign playing second fiddle behind Howard in what will probably be a 65-35 split of the tight end targets when Winston is not force-feeding WR Mike Evans passes. Brate is a touchdown-dependent player because his reception and yardage totals are not enough to make a fantasy difference. While Tampa Bay will probably still employ plenty of two-TE sets to utilize both Howard and Brate’s skill sets, the fact is that Brate will be hard-pressed to accomplish much if Howard is healthy for the whole season. Brate should still be able to score 6-to-8 touchdowns in 2019, but asking for anything more than 40 catches and 450 yards is a stretch.
