Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton hasn’t seen action on the field in three weeks, and many are wondering if he will be making an appearance in the Bucs’ playoff game against the Washington Commanders on Sunday night.
Otton hurt his knee in Week 15 in their 40-17 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.
What Is Cade Otton’s Injury
Otton banged his knee in their victory over the Chargers and his status has been questionable since. He is officially listed as questionable for Wild Card Weekend.
It was an unfortunate set of events because Otton was on his way to having a Pro Bowl-type season.
He had caught 59 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games. He was quarterback Baker Mayfield’s main target after losing wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Goodwin to injuries, with Mike Evans ultimately returning in Week 12.
When Will Otton Return?
According to Bucs head coach Todd Bowles, Otton has made significant progress and may play against the Commanders. Bowles gave an update on Otton, Antoine Winfield Jr, and Jamel Dean via Clutch Points.
“Antoine and Jamel are fine, Cade is trending in the right way, we’ll see how he recovers,” Bowles said.
That’s good news for a team that has been hit with a rash of injuries this season, none more significant than the loss of Godwin for the rest of the season. Bowles was torched by fans and the media for allowing Godwin to play in garbage time in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
“He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ball game,” Bowles said about the decision to keep Godwin in the game. “We were still down 10. We’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick. [The injury] just happened.”
“You can say that because he got hurt. We don’t second-guess,” Bowles said in October. “We’ve got our guys. We’re playing everybody we’ve got. It’s unfortunate he got hurt, but he’s a football player and he wants to be in the game, just like Baker [Mayfield] and everybody else wanted to be in the game.”
Bowles must have learned his lesson from that incident because he has not tried to play or rush Otton’s comeback or any of the other Bucs players who have been injured even though it could have cost them a playoff berth.
The Bucs’ victory in Week 18 sealed the NFC South for them and a playoff berth. Before all their injuries, the Bucs were one of the hottest teams in the NFL but cooled off some toward the end of the season, but now with the return of certain players, they are a team to watch in the playoffs.