Buccaneers TE Cade Otton switches to gloves in loss to Browns
The short version
- Cade Otton wore gloves in the Buccaneers' 23-19 loss to the Cleveland Browns after years of playing barehanded.
- He caught five of six targets for 38 yards, led Tampa Bay in receptions, and made a diving one-handed catch from Baker Mayfield.
- Otton logged 58 of 65 offensive snaps and was credited with eight drops in 2024 plus one this season.
- Tom Brady pushed Otton to wear gloves during his 2022 rookie year; Otton stopped after Brady retired.
- Otton fumbled against Cleveland, but the Buccaneers recovered.
Tampa Bay's tight end, long a barehanded receiver, wore gloves Sunday and responded with a team-high five catches against Cleveland.
Cade Otton drew attention in Sunday's 23-19 defeat to the Cleveland Browns for something beyond his stat line: the Buccaneers tight end had gloves on. A player who has built a reputation for catching and blocking without them, Otton had been dogged at times by dropped passes, including eight in 2024 and another credited to him through the first two games of this season.
The change of equipment did not slow him down. Otton hauled in five of the six passes thrown his way for 38 yards, topping Tampa Bay's reception count, and came down with what the Buccaneers themselves described as a diving, one-handed reception from Baker Mayfield — arguably the club's finest grab of the day. He was on the field for 58 of the offense's 65 snaps and remained a favored short-range target for Mayfield.
The gloves have a history in Otton's career. As a rookie in 2022, Tom Brady urged him to wear them, and Otton did so while the veteran quarterback was still playing. After Brady's retirement, Otton returned to going barehanded, a habit the Buccaneers publicly noted last season as unusual for a starting NFL tight end.
One appearance in gloves settles nothing. Otton fumbled against Cleveland, though Tampa Bay retained possession, and a single game cannot show whether his catching troubles are behind him. Still, he looked sure-handed on Sunday, and the question now is whether the gloves remain part of his routine.
