Who Should I Start? Charlie Woerner or Cade Otton

Monday, March 11, 5:04 PM

The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to terms on a three-year, $12 million deal with free-agent tight end Charlie Woerner on Monday, according to his agent, Alex Essex. Woerner, a sixth-round selection in 2020 by the San Francisco 49ers out of Georgia, had just 11 catches on 15 targets for 120 yards and no touchdowns in 65 games (seven starts) in his four seasons in the Bay Area, so he shouldn't be expected to do much in Atlanta besides providing insurance at the tight end position behind Kyle Pitts. The 26-year-old is a blocking-first tight end anyway, so when he's in the game for new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, it will probably be to pave the way for running back Bijan Robinson.

Tuesday, July 29, 9:20 PM

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (hamstring) remained sidelined for his team's Tuesday practice, according to Greg Auman of Fox Sports. Otton has now missed three straight days of practice with what Bucs head coach Todd Bowles has described as a mild hamstring strain. The fourth-year tight end played 14 games in 2024, hauling in 59 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. However, Otton did much of his work when Tampa Bay's receiving corps got hit with a rash of injuries mid-season, so he could see his numbers come down a bit in 2025. That being said, he's clearly the team's top receiving threat at the tight end position, as backups Payne Durham and Ko Kieft profile more as blockers. It doesn't sound as though the team expects any significant missed time for Otton, but his situation is worth monitoring until he returns to the practice field.