Buccaneers Cut Cameron Brate; Commanders Sign in Free Agency?
The tight end free agency market is receiving another key addition.
According to ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are cutting Cameron Brate after spending the past eight years with the team.
Brate, 31, hasn't missed a game in the past five years and caught 30 passes for 245 yards and four touchdowns last season.
The Washington Commanders ranked 30th in the league in receiving yards by tight ends last season, signaling a need to improve at the position.
However, the Commanders are happy with the current state of their tight end room.
"I think Logan Thomas has been a very good player for us in the past," general manager Martin Mayhew said. "As you know, Cole Turner had one of the best off seasons that I've seen a young tight end have and then he got injured in training camp and suffered some soft tissue injuries during the season.
"And then Armani [Rogers] also as an undrafted free agent, a guy who moved to tight end last year really showed some very intriguing flashes. Obviously, John Bates is a very complete guy as a blocker and as a receiver. Then we've got Curtis Hodges who was on the injured reserve last year. We didn't activate him, but he is very, very talented. We've got a nice group of young pups out there that look pretty good.”
But there's always room for improvement.
The Commanders could save $5.175 million by cutting Logan Thomas and with a fraction of that money, Washington can sign Brate, who could act as a starter or backup if last year's fifth-round pick Cole Turner is healthy and ready for a bigger role.
The Commanders could look to go in the draft again for a tight end, or scour the free agency market for a bigger fish like Dalton Schultz or Mike Gesicki, but now, Brate is an option Washington needs to consider.
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