The Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff will look very different when the 2019 season starts. Bruce Arians brings many new faces in with him.
One of these familiar faces, is none other than Rick Christophel. Christophel most recently served last season as the Arizona Cardinals tight ends coach.
Christophel was also a head coach for many years, most recently from 2007-2012 as the Austin Peay University head coach. He compiled a 20-46 record in his time there.
He then moved to the Arizona Cardinals staff as a tight end coach in 2013, along with Arians. In his time there, he coached some great tight ends.
Similar Tight End Skillsets Could Help Christophel
One of those tight ends was Jermaine Gresham. Gresham has a very similar skillset to none other than Buccaneers current tight end O.J Howard.
Howard is one of the best young tight ends in the league.
Both are tight ends known for stretching the field vertically with their ability to beat linebackers with their blazing speed and route running ability.
Gresham came to Arizona in 2015, and in his four years under Christophel he averaged nearly 11 yards per touch.
Howard has averaged nearly 17 yards per touch, but this was mostly due to scheme. The Buccaneers ran a vertical offense and took more shots down the field than most NFL teams.
Uncertainty Lies Ahead for Some Buccaneer tight ends
For tight end Cameron Brate, the future is much more unclear. He is a favorite target of Jameis Winston in the red zone. However, his contract contains no more guarantees, so he could possibly be released to save salary cap space.
All in all, the Buccaneers should be excited for the start of the 2019-2020 season. Arians and his staff are seasoned veterans. They have proven to be winners in the NFL and hopefully, can bring that to Tampa Bay.
Fire the cannons!
