Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski's Return is Meaningful in More Ways than One

One of the NFL's best tight end of all-time deploys a multi-skill outlook for the Bucs.

Buccaneers tight end  Rob Gronkowski should be able to play this week. Based off NFL Network's Ian Rapoport's latest report, it appears as if he will play against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Many point to Gronk's stats over the final six games of last year and the first two games of this year as reason(s) why the former All-Pro tight end should be thrust back into the starting lineup, which is completely logical. Because it's not just about what Gronk does in the passing game. It's also about what he does in terms of pass protection and run blocking for the Bucs.

The future Hall of Fame tight is famous for the quote, "I'm a blocking tight end", after the first few weeks of the 2020 season, but has proved to be so much more since then.

Per Pro Football Focus, Gronk possessed the third-highest blocking grade among all tight ends with at least 63 blocking snaps through the first three weeks of the season. 

While O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate have stepped up in Gronk's absence, Gronk's presence adds another dimension to the Bucs offense, which should go a long way in helping the Bucs win this week's game.

"We’re going to be getting ‘Gronk’ (Rob Gronkowski) back here at some point," Brate told reporters Wednesday. "Sure, our opportunities will go down a little bit once Gronk is back, which we’re okay with that. Seeing some targets for the best tight end of all time – we’re cool with that."

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