Brate is currently the No. 1 tight end on the Buccaneers depth chart in the immediate aftermath of Rob Gronkowski's retirement announcement earlier this week, Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Brate may not be atop the heap for long, however, at least not without sharing that spot with one of several veteran tight ends still available on the open market. His last season with over 500 snaps from scrimmage came back in 2018, and heading into his age-32 campaign, Brate is most effective when sharing time with another capable pass-catching option at the position. Rookie Cade Otton (ankle) could also eventually eat into Brate's snaps depending on how quickly he picks up the team's offense.

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