The Buccaneers' secret weapon no one is talking about

Training camp is in full swing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and as the pads come on, it's time for players to show everything they've got to secure a spot on the team and move up the depth chart.

One of those players trying to earn a bigger role is second-year tight end Devin Culp. As a seventh-round rookie, Culp made the roster out of training camp but was active for just five games last season. In his first three games, he played just five offensive snaps and failed to record a catch. But Culp's next two games were more promising — he tallied five total receptions for 88 yards, including two big third-down grabs in Week 18 against the Saints.

With all the attention on the new additions to the offense in wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Tez Johnson, it's easy for Culp to get lost in the shuffle. However, that's likely the way the Bucs want it. Culp has had a very productive start in training camp, picking up where he left off in the spring. Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles expects opportunities for all the tight ends with the offense additions and praised Culp for how hard he has worked this offseason.

“Culp has had a heck of a spring," Bowles said. "He worked his tail off. Obviously, he’s lighter than the other ones, but he’s a feisty blocker. [It’s about] just continuing to get the system down for him.... They (the tight ends) should be singled up a lot with all of the receivers that we have, so they should be able to make some plays that way."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Devin Culp holds off Carolina Panthers cornerback Caleb Farley. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Bowles is right. When this offense is at full capacity and humming, it will be difficult for opposing teams to stop. With a bevy of options in the passing game, there will be plenty of opportunities for the Bucs to create advantageous looks and mismatches on offense, and quarterback Baker Mayfield expects Culp to have a role in that.

"Yeah, Devin has taken a lot of steps," Mayfield said. "He is a guy that is extremely athletic for his size. He can really, really run. So, just being able to have a guy like that, I mean, he is extremely trustworthy. Payne [Durham] is more of our dominant, meathead guy. And having an athletic guy like Dev, to stretch the field at the tight end position, creates mismatch problems. If you want to line up a linebacker on him, he can outrun you. So, you are going to have to take a safety out of that. That kind of opens the spot up for everybody else. So, it is great to have a guy like that."

The Buccaneers have long wanted an athletic tight end, and they're certain to deploy Culp as a secret weapon on certain plays this season. Offensive coordinator Josh Grizzard can utilize Culp's speed and athleticism in a variety of ways, whether that is moving him around the line to create mismatches for him or by drawing a safety to open up opportunities for other players. If Culp continues to impress in camp, he will surely have a gameday role on the Bucs offense and has the potential to make this offense even better than it already is.

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