A new Pewter Report roundtable debuts every Tuesday on PewterReport.com. Each week, a Pewter reporter will tackle a different tough question. Question of the week: Who is the Bucs’ offensive sleeper heading into training camp?
Scott Reynolds: WR Cameron Johnson is creating a lot of buzz.
Buccaneers WR Cameron Johnson – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Tampa Bay has a very talented roster at the wide receiver position heading into training camp. The receiver corps is top-tier, with 1.00-yard veterans Mike Evans and Chris Godwin being the most experienced, and rookie Sterling Shepard being an 8th-year veteran. The remaining 11 have little to no game experience, but are untapped talent. Trey Palmer and Jalen McMillan, both third-round picks this year, are the front-runners for the WR3 position, with Rakim Jarrett leading the way at WR5.
If the team were to keep six receivers (which I think they will), Shepard would be competing with a number of inexperienced players for the WR6 position. Kameron Johnson An undrafted free agent from the tiny Barton College. Recent SR Fab 5 Columns After minicamp.
Last year, he caught 51 passes for 875 yards and seven touchdowns, and also threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to the quarterback. The 5-foot-8, 190-pound rookie receiver is an athletic athlete who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds and recorded a vertical leap of 37 inches at NC State’s pro day. Several Buccaneers players told me Johnson was one of the lesser known players who really stood out during OTAs and minicamp.
Johnson also has experience returning kicks and punts and could be a candidate to replace Deven Thompkins as Tampa Bay’s return specialist. The receiver corps is crowded with competition, but if he can keep up his pre-camp momentum and perform well in the preseason once the pads are put on in late July, Johnson could be a surprise addition to the 53-man roster as a WR5 or WR6.
Matt Matera: G Elijah Klein has a chance to start
Buccaneers G Elijah Cline – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Offensive linemen are rarely “sleepers,” but that certainly seems to be the case when it comes to starting positions. There’s been a lot of talk this offseason about veteran free agent acquisitions Ben Bredeson and Su’a Opeta competing for the starting left guard position, but let’s not forget Klein.
The Buccaneers selected Klein in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He was a development project — Tampa Bay essentially redshirted a rookie before in Alex Cappa — but Tampa Bay also took responsibility for drafting tackles Tristan Wirfs and Luke Goedeke and right guard Cody Mauch, all of whom became immediate starters.
It’s possible that Klein will develop quickly enough to compete for a starting spot. He comes from UTEP, where he only played running football, which is a plus for the Buccaneers, who are looking to improve their running game this season. He’ll need to learn pass blocking, which may take time.
Klein is excited to learn the offense and has used flashcards to master it. Tampa Bay wants to eliminate a few questions about the offensive line, such as whether Mouch will move forward and whether Graham Burton will provide immediate help at center. There are also questions about whether they have the right player at left guard. Bredeson and Opeta were acquired, but who’s to say they’re better than Matt Feiler was a year ago? Maybe Klein will wow the coaching staff and be named to start the season.
Bayley Adams: TE Payne Durham could be a bigger threat in the red zone
Buccaneers TE Payne Durham – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
Payne Durham was a player I liked going back to Senior Bowl week in 2023. The former Purdue tight end quickly emerged as a big-bodied target who was a threat in the red zone, and with the retirement of Cam Brate and the fact that Cade Otton was the only tight end on the roster who showed some promise, Durham felt like a good fit.
So when the Buccaneers selected him in the fifth round of last year’s draft, I was in favor of the choice. But Durham didn’t make much of an impact as a rookie, catching just five passes for 58 yards (11.6 average) in 13 games. Opportunities, or lack thereof, were partly to blame: He caught just seven passes on the season.
It took a while for Durham to assume the role of TE2 behind Otton for the Bucs, as he sat out game days early in the season. But he started to play in the second half of the season and twice came just yards shy of his first career touchdown. One of those was a 12-yard catch against Indianapolis that led Tampa Bay to the goal line, and the other was a 25-yard catch at home against Jacksonville that led the offense to the 2-yard line. Durham also had an 18-yard catch in the Wild Card win over the Eagles.
So it will be exciting to see what progress Durham makes this offseason, his first full offseason in the NFL, when training camp opens later this month. His blocking will need to improve if he’s to get on the field more often and have more opportunities to make an impact. And with Liam Cohen moving to more wide receiver trios and fewer 12-man lineups, it will be even tougher for the former Boilermaker to take the next step in 2024.
But at 6-foot-6 and 253 pounds, he’s too big to not be effective in the red zone. So expect to see more 11-on-11 and red zone periods from Durham, especially if he gets a chance to play with the first team and quarterback Baker Mayfield. And it’s time to do just that inside the 20 on Sunday.
Josh Quepo: WR Trey Palmer has the most big play potential
Buccaneers WR Trey Palmer – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Buccaneers wide receiver Trey Palmer ran the 40-yard dash in 4.33 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine. last year. That’s in the 94th percentile of all wide receivers. He’s fast. Like Jimmy John’s fast.
He’s not just a track star. Palmer’s speed also translates to the game. You’ve seen other offensive players with speed like him. The Miami Dolphins have used similarly speedy weapons like wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and running backs Devaughn Achan and Raheem Mostert to break records.
Former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator Dave Canales occasionally used Palmer’s speed to his advantage (see Week 5 against Detroit last year), but he was never able to consistently use his trump card because Baker Mayfield and the rookie receiver often didn’t line up on downfield shots. At one point this season, Canales was holding Palmer to an average depth of target of less than 6.0.
No other receiver on this roster has the ability to get deep as quickly as Palmer. New offensive coordinator Liam Cohen has a chance to use that speed to create game-changing plays. Putting Palmer in a short-motion, speed-release role would allow him to get on the field without having to worry about navigating jams. Just like how the Rams improved Puka Nacua’s skill set last year, Palmer could be a surprise in 2024. And he could be a starter at WR3 again this season.
Adam Slivon: TE Devin Culp could surprise with pads
Buccaneers tight end Devin Culp and tight end coach Justin Peel – Photo: Cliff Welch/PR
To my surprise, Another tight end.
Coming into this season, the Buccaneers had one of the youngest tight ends, and they added another young player to their roster with the seventh-round selection of Devin Culp. Culp had a quiet senior year at Washington, with the top three wide receivers getting most of the targets (including Buccaneers recruit Jalen McMillan), but Culp’s 4.47-second speed stood out at the NFL Scouting Combine and led to his draft selection.
Offensive coordinator Liam Cohen has a track record of involving tight ends in his offense (just look at Tyler Higbee with the Rams in 2022), so it wouldn’t be surprising if he finds a way to utilize Culp’s skill set. His speed gives him a unique advantage over other tight ends, and if that translates into big plays on the field, he has a chance. Make an impact He will be on the field during the regular season. Cade Otton played 97% of the team’s offensive snaps last season, so it’s expected that other tight ends will give him more opportunities and take away his timeshare.
Culp’s main competition for the No. 2 tight end spot behind Otton will be Payne Durham and Ko Kieft, but with Kieft sidelined due to offseason activities, Culp may already have surpassed him in the depth charts. The difference between him and Durham is who is the more well-rounded player and less of a niche player.
The former Huskies player entered the NFL weighing just 231 pounds, but said in May that he was closer to 245-250 pounds, so he shouldn’t be as underpowered when asked to block. While he’s still raw at the blocking position, his style of play could benefit the offense and potentially open up the field for Baker Mayfield to distribute the ball, so he’s worth keeping an eye on.
