The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their third high-profile retirement of the 2022 offseason, as legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski announced Tuesday that he’s hanging up his cleats for the second time, after two seasons with the team.
While Tom Brady returned from his “retirement” after just 41 days (while Ali Marpet did not), and it’s still technically possible that Gronk could pull the same about-face at some point before the seasons starts, the Bucs are currently looking at replacing an important part of their dynamic offense.
While Gronkowski might not be the same player he was in his prime, he’s still been a unicorn of a mismatch for the Bucs over the last two seasons, creating constant problems for opposing defenses with his rare skill set. He’s a red-zone nightmare in coverage, and obviously has a unique connection with Brady that the passing game will sorely miss. He was also an elite blocker who basically gave the Bucs another offensive lineman when he wasn’t running routes.
Replacing that impact will be much easier said than done, even though the Bucs did just spend two picks in the 2022 NFL draft on tight ends.
Cade Otton, a fourth-round pick out of Washington has the kind of well-rounded skill set that makes him the potential long-term replacement for what Gronkowski brought to the offense. That said, he’s a rookie who is still recovering from ankle surgery.
Ko Kieft, a sixth-round pick out of Minnesota, is a blocking specialist who could help alleviate the loss of Gronkowski in the trenches, should he make the final 53-man active roster.
The Bucs do have a reliable veteran still on the roster in Cameron Brate, so Brady will at least have one player at the position with whom he already has some familiarity and chemistry. Brate doesn’t have Gronkowski’s size, athleticism or blocking prowess, but he’s still a trustworthy target Brady knows he can rely on. That will certainly count for something, especially early in the season, while…
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