Buccaneers Sign Tight End Kyle Rudolph

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have taken the next step in replacing retired tight end Rob Gronkowski as they have signed former Vikings and Giants tight end, Kyle Rudolph.

Originally drafted by the Vikings in 2011, Rudolph spent the first 10 years of his career with the Vikings before a one-year stop with the New York Giants in 2021. In his lone season with the Giants, Rudolph hauled in 26 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown in 16 games.

Around Full Press Coverage

NFL OPINION: Arians: Why Bucs’ Ring of Honor Means “More to Me’ Than Canton

NFL: What’s Next For Chiefs And Orlando Brown Jr.?

NFL: NFL Rumors: Ndamukong Suh, Sean Payton, Sunday Ticket

FULL PRESS BETS: Early 2022 NFL MVP Odds: Bills’ Josh Allen Favored

NHL: Flyers’ Free-Agency Moves Further Alienate A Disgruntled Fanbase

PODCAST: Full Press NFL Podcast Ep 42: Deebo Samuel Requests Trade; Possible Landing Spots

Despite the signing, Cameron Brate is still expected to be the starter for the Buccaneers but as soon as Gronkowski announced he wasn’t coming back on June 21st, it created a massive void on offense and depth in the tight end room.

Rudolph’s best statistical season came in 2016 with the Vikings when he had a career-high 83 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns. He had a career-best nine touchdown receptions in his second season with Minnesota in 2012 and earned his first of two Pro Bowl selections to date. His second came in 2017 when he nearly matched his nine touchdown receptions with eight.

Over the span of his 11 seasons, Rudolph has 479 receptions for 4,745 yards and 49 touchdowns.