The Buccaneers released Brate on Friday.
Brate, who played nine seasons for the Buccaneers, is coming off a campaign in which he caught 20 passes for 174 yards in 11 games. In the wake of the 31-year-old's departure, 2022 draftees Cade Otton and Ko Kieft now currently top Tampa Bay's tight end depth chart.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Headed for release
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The Buccaneers are expected to release Brate in the coming days, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Brate was entering the final year of his contract in Tampa Bay and set to count close to $5 million against the cap. The anticipated release will clear $2.03 million, leaving behind $2.96 million in dead money. The 31-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with the Bucs but had an eight-year-low 20 catches for 174 scoreless yards in 11 games last season.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Scores in wild-card loss
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Brate brought in one of three targets for eight yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He finished the 2022 regular season with 20 receptions for 174 yards and no touchdowns on 38 targets across 11 games.
Brate logged his second-lowest snap count from scrimmage since 2016, participating on 342 offensive plays overall. The veteran tight end's reception and receiving yardage tallies were also his lowest since his 2014 rookie season, and the campaign also qualified as his first without a touchdown reception since that year. Brate carries a reasonable enough 2023 cap number of just under $5 million, but it remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old will be deemed worthy of a roster spot with rookie Cade Otton having demonstrated the ability to handle primary pass-catching duties at the position.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Not targeted in loss
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Brate failed to record a single target in Sunday's 30-17 loss to the Falcons.
Brate played the most offensive snaps of any Buccaneers tight end Sunday, but he was a complete nonfactor in the contest. The veteran's 49 percent snap percentage was his highest since Week 12. Brate has just not been a major part of Tampa Bay's offensive game plan this season, as rookie Cade Otton has emerged as the top pass-catching option at tight end. The veteran will look to get more involved in the wild-card round of the playoffs, as the Buccaneers will host the Cowboys on Monday night.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Healthy scratch Sunday
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Brate (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 17 clash against the Panthers, Greg Auman of FOXSports.com reports.
Brate played just eight snaps in the Week 16 overtime win against the Cardinals and is now a relatively surprising healthy scratch Sunday. In his stead, rookie Cade Otton will serve as the clear top pass-catching option at tight end, while veteran Kyle Rudolph and fellow first-year pro Ko Kieft will rotate behind him, primarily as blocking options.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Plays just eight snaps Sunday
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Brate played just eight offensive snaps and did not log a target in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.
Brate was outpaced by rookie Cade Otton significantly in snaps, as the latter logged nearly 60 more plays from scrimmage than the veteran. The disparity accelerated a season-long trend, as Brate saw 29 snaps to Otton's 43 in Week 15 against the Bengals and hasn't seen more snaps than Otton during a game in which they both played since Week 2. Brate still has one more season left on his current contract but would carry a modest dead cap hit if he gets released, so his diminished role may signal that his time in Tampa Bay is coming to an end.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Productive with two catches
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Brate brought in two of four targets for 25 yards in the Buccaneers' 34-23 loss to the Bengals on Sunday.
The veteran tight end outpaced rookie position mate Cade Otton by one reception, five yards and three targets, somewhat of a departure from recent trends. Brate still logged 19 fewer snaps than Otton's 48, however.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Two catches in return
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Brate brought in two of four targets for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 35-7 loss to the 49ers in Week 14.
Brate missed a Week 13 win over the Saints with an illness, but he was back to his usual role alongside rookie Cade Otton in Sunday's defeat. The veteran tight end has progressively ceded more pass-catching work to his younger teammate, who doubled him up in receptions, logged an additional target and recorded 45 snaps to Brate's 28. The arrangement is likely to persist in a Week 15 home interconference battle with Kansas City.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Gets in full practice Wednesday
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Brate (illness) practiced fully Wednesday.
Brate sat out last Thursday and Friday due to an illness, but despite practicing in full Saturday he still was given a questionable designation ahead of Monday's game against the Saints. Eventually, the Bucs included him among their inactives, resulting in his fifth absence of the season. Now that he's back to full activity to begin the week of prep, Brate seemingly is good to go as the team prepares for Sunday's visit to San Francisco.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Sitting out Monday
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Brate (illness) is listed as inactive Monday versus the Saints, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Brate opened Week 13 prep with back-to-back absences as he dealt with an illness, but he managed a full session Saturday before being marked as questionable to play Monday. He'll miss his fifth game of the campaign. With Brate sidelined, Cade Otton, Ko Kieft and Kyle Rudolph will be Tampa Bay's available tight ends.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Full practice Saturday
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Brate (illness) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Saints, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.
Brate failed to practice both Thursday and Friday, but the veteran tight end was available fully Saturday, which would seem to indicate he'd be able to play. In the event Brate is unavailable, rookie Cade Otton has essentially been the team's lone tight end, although a healthy Brate would likely mean both tight ends split snaps.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Not at practice
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Brate (illness) didn't practice Friday.
After missing back-to-back practices, Brate has one last chance Friday to join his teammates. He could play in Monday's game against the Saints even if he's out another day, as he's been with QB Tom Brady for three years now and with the Bucs for much longer. Rookie Cade Otton has typically handled a near-every-down role when Brate is out, while the two tend to split snaps when the veteran is healthy.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Sits out practice with illness
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Brate didn't practice Thursday due to an illness.
The severity of Brate's illness isn't known, but he'll have two more chances to practice this week before the Buccaneers determine if he's fit to play Monday against the Saints. In Tampa Bay's Week 12 overtime loss to Cleveland, Brate played two fewer snaps (35 to 33) than rookie Cade Otton, but the veteran was the more productive receiver of the team. Brate finished with two catches for 15 yards on five targets, while Otton failed to draw a look from quarterback Tom Brady.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Two grabs in Week 12 loss
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Brate brought in two of five targets for 15 yards in the Buccaneers' 23-17 overtime loss to the Browns on Sunday.
Brate logged just one fewer snap than position mate Cade Otton's 36 and finished third on the team in targets while his rookie teammate didn't see a pass thrown his way. Despite the uptick in Brate's targets Sunday, his upside remains limited as long as the Buccaneers' receiving corps is in good health.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: One catch in return to action
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Brate (neck) brought in one of two targets for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 21-16 win over the Seahawks on Sunday.
Brate was able to make his return following a three-game absence and logged a solid 34 snaps, but that was still 12 behind rookie teammate Cade Otton. Otton also finished with one more target and two more catches, and it appears his solid play of late has pushed him ahead of Brate as the Bucs' top pass-catching option at tight end.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Suiting up in Germany
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Brate (neck) is active for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Munich, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Brate will dress for the first time since suffering the neck injury in the Buccaneers' Week 6 loss to the Steelers after he completed a regimen of three full practices from Wednesday through Friday. Though he's served as Tampa Bay's starting tight end when available this season, Brate could find himself in a timeshare with rookie Cade Otton in the former's first game back from injury. Otton has turned in an impressive 11-147-1 receiving line on 16 targets while Brate has been sidelined for the past three contests.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Questionable for Munich game
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The Buccaneers list Brate (neck) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Seahawks in Munich.
Brate was a full participant in practice Wednesday through Friday, so he'll more than likely suit up in Germany and is likely just carrying a designation for precautionary reasons in the event of a setback leading up to Sunday's 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff. The veteran tight end has missed four of the Buccaneers' last five games with a concussion and a neck injury, so he could be eased back into the mix Week 10 with a smaller role than usual. Given that rookie Cade Otton has produced well in Brate's stead, the Buccaneers don't have reason to hand the latter a big snap count if he suits up Sunday.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Puts in full practice Wednesday
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Brate (neck) practiced fully Wednesday.
After missing three of the last four contests due to a concussion and then a neck injury, Brate appears to have gained medical clearance to return to action following Wednesday's uncapped session. His workload in the short term could be affected, however, as rookie tight end Cade Otton has compiled a 13-170-1 receiving line on 19 targets during the aforementioned four-game stretch, perhaps staking a claim to a larger role in the process.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Not playing Thursday
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Head coach Todd Bowles said that Brate (neck) has been ruled out ahead of Thursday's game against the Ravens, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
Brate will miss his second straight game as he continues working his way back from a neck injury. In his stead, the Buccaneers will rely on Cade Otton, Kyle Rudolph and perhaps Ko Kieft (ankle) to hold down the fort at tight end.
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Buccaneers' Cameron Brate: Doesn't practice Tuesday
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Brate (neck) didn't participate in Tuesday's walkthrough, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
After sitting out Week 5 due to a concussion, Brate returned to action Week 6, only to suffer a neck injury in that contest. There's no telling when the tight end will gain clearance to return to action, but he seems in danger of missing his third game in the last four. If he's unable to play Thursday versus the Ravens, reps will fall to Cade Otton, Kyle Rudolph and potentially Ko Kieft (ankle), who was listed as limited on Tuesday's practice report after logging no activity Monday.
