The Buccaneers released Brate on Friday.

EDGE Analysis

Brate, who played nine seasons for the Buccaneers, is coming off a campaign in which he caught 20 passes for 174 yards in 11 games. In the wake of the 31-year-old's departure, 2022 draftees Cade Otton and Ko Kieft now currently top Tampa Bay's tight end depth chart.

The Buccaneers are expected to release Brate in the coming days, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brate was entering the final year of his contract in Tampa Bay and set to count close to $5 million against the cap. The anticipated release will clear $2.03 million, leaving behind $2.96 million in dead money. The 31-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with the Bucs but had an eight-year-low 20 catches for 174 scoreless yards in 11 games last season.

Brate brought in one of three targets for eight yards and a touchdown in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He finished the 2022 regular season with 20 receptions for 174 yards and no touchdowns on 38 targets across 11 games.

EDGE Analysis

Brate logged his second-lowest snap count from scrimmage since 2016, participating on 342 offensive plays overall. The veteran tight end's reception and receiving yardage tallies were also his lowest since his 2014 rookie season, and the campaign also qualified as his first without a touchdown reception since that year. Brate carries a reasonable enough 2023 cap number of just under $5 million per OverTheCap.com, but it remains to be seen whether the 31-year-old will be deemed worthy of a roster spot with rookie Cade Otton having demonstrated the ability to handle primary pass-catching duties at the position.

Brate failed to record a single target in Sunday's 30-17 loss to the Falcons.

EDGE Analysis

Brate played the most offensive snaps of any Buccaneers tight end Sunday, but he was a complete nonfactor in the contest. The veteran's 49 percent snap percentage was his highest since Week 12. Brate has just not been a major part of Tampa Bay's offensive game plan this season, as rookie Cade Otton has emerged as the top pass-catching option at tight end. The veteran will look to get more involved in the wild-card round of the playoffs, as the Buccaneers will host the Cowboys on Monday night.

Brate (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's Week 17 clash against the Panthers, Greg Auman of FOXSports.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brate played just eight snaps in the Week 16 overtime win against the Cardinals and is now a relatively surprising healthy scratch Sunday. In his stead, rookie Cade Otton will serve as the clear top pass-catching option at tight end, while veteran Kyle Rudolph and fellow first-year pro Ko Kieft will rotate behind him, primarily as blocking options.

Brate played just eight snaps from scrimmage and did not log a target in the Buccaneers' 19-16 overtime win over the Cardinals on Sunday night.

EDGE Analysis

Brate was outpaced by rookie position mate Cade Otton significantly in snaps, as the latter logged 60 more plays from scrimmage than the veteran. The disparity came abruptly considering Brate had just been in on 19 plays to Otton's 48 in Week 15 against the Bengals and recorded a pair of receptions on four targets. Little-used veteran Kyle Rudolph and rookie Ko Kieft were also active Sunday and saw 11 and 14 snaps, respectively, so perhaps Brate's reduced opportunity was simply the result of a one-week glut at tight end.

Brate brought in two of four targets for 25 yards in the Buccaneers' 34-23 loss to the Bengals on Sunday.

EDGE Analysis

The veteran tight end outpaced rookie position mate Cade Otton by one reception, five yards and three targets, somewhat of a departure from recent trends. Brate still logged 19 fewer snaps than Otton's 48, however, so the numbers for each player could simply prove to be a bit of an outlier in the team's remaining games.

Brate brought in two of four targets for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 35-7 loss to the 49ers in Week 14.

EDGE Analysis

Brate had missed the Week 13 win over the Saints with an illness, but he was back to his usual complementary role alongside rookie Cade Otton for Sunday's defeat. The veteran tight end has progressively ceded more pass-catching work to his younger teammate, who doubled him up in receptions, logged an additional target and recorded 45 snaps to Brate's 28. The arrangement is likely to persist in a Week 15 home interconference battle with the Chiefs.

Brate (illness) practiced fully Wednesday.

EDGE Analysis

Brate sat out last Thursday and Friday due to an illness, but despite practicing in full Saturday he still was given a questionable designation for Monday's game against the Saints. Eventually, the Bucs included him among their inactives, resulting in his fifth absence of the season. Now that he's back to all activity to begin the week of prep, Brate seemingly is good to go as the team prepares for Sunday's visit to San Francisco.

Brate (illness) is listed as inactive Monday versus the Saints, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Brate opened Week 13 prep with back-to-back absences as he dealt with an illness, but he managed a full session Saturday and went down as questionable to play Monday. This last point may have been a tell, though, as he'll miss his fifth game of the campaign. With Brate sidelined, Cade Otton, Ko Kieft and Kyle Rudolph will be Tampa Bay's available tight ends.