2 Tight End sets: Maximizing your strengths

2019 team tight end prognostications

Not every team in the NFL can claim to have a stud at the tight end position. Even fewer can claim to have two at the spot. Tampa can do the latter. If you check out the rankings and do the homework. You will find that when the rank relies heavily on supposed expert opinion for 2019, the rank varies quite a bit. You go from SB Nation having Tampa ranked 5th overall at the position as a whole, and saying past Mike Evans, at receiver, we don’t have much else! Then you have Bleacher Report ranking our receiving corpse at #3 overall, and saying no team has a better pair of tight ends than the Bucs.

You have one outlet in Bleacher Report that does their homework and is knowledgeable about what they are saying. Then you have another in SB Nation, that well, phones it in. You don’t have to be a genius to see that Godwin had three 100 yard games down the stretch last year, and that this could be a big breakout year for him, and that Perriman was rejuvenated with Cleveland last year, and rookie Scotty Miller can play all wide receiver positions, and is the fastest man on the team. We’re still stacked at receiver even after losing two this off-season. Okay, back to the subject.

Creating chaos for opposing defenses?

With two studs at tight end, and assuming that both can remain healthy, it would seem that the smart play, would be to find a way to have both tight ends on the field at the same time. Brate’s contract is a fairly heavy one, so getting good use out of him would be nice, especially if it isn’t forced through a Howard injury. Our red zone efficiency last year has been well documented, it was horrible. Having two big, athletic tight ends, creates serious mismatches, even if they do it, in different ways. And, that is a scenario one would think, would benefit our red zone performance in 2019.

Since Arians and Leftwich (we hope Byron is) are both very smart coaches, getting more talent on the field in an area we have struggled, seems like a no brainer. It should create all kinds of chaos for opposing defenses. Either using them in no-back sets, with 2 to 3 wide receiver sets would be a defensive backfield’s nightmare. Or, using them as beef for a running play, or something in between, they can’t lose. They are the ones making the Big Bucks, so indeed, this cliche’ has never been truer, but only time will tell.

We all will be watching, that’s the fun of it. Go Bucs!!