PAYNE DURHAM NEWS

No targets in return Durham did not see a target during the Buccaneers' 31-26 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.

Impact Durham logged 11 snaps on offense and another one special teams in his return from a one-game absence due to a calf injury. The 24-year-old has only one reception over his first seven games, and even the absences of Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (IR, ankle) could spur further involvement for the second-year tight end.

OCTOBER 30 • ROTOWIRE

Making return Week 8 Durham (calf) is active Sunday for a matchup against the Falcons, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers official site reports.

Impact Durham missed Week 7 due to a calf issue, but he was able to log a full practice Friday after beginning the week with a DNP. The tight end entered the weekend deemed questionable for Sunday, but he'll be able to suit up against Atlanta. Durham has only one catch on one target for eight yards through six games in a backup role, but there's a chance he could be utilized more in the passing game with Tampa Bay's top wideouts -- Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (ankle) -- both out of action.

OCTOBER 27 • ROTOWIRE

Could play Sunday Durham (calf) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Falcons.

Impact Durham missed the Buccaneers' Week 7 loss to the Ravens due to a calf issue, but he was able to log a full practice session Friday, giving himself a chance to suit up Sunday. However, if Durham can't play through his calf issue in Week 8, expect Ko Kieft to serve as Tampa Bay's No. 2 tight end behind Cade Otton.

OCTOBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Practices Thursday after all Durham (calf) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

Impact Durham was unable to play Monday against the Ravens due to a calf injury, which kept him off the practice field Wednesday. He was initially spotted on the sidelines during Thursday's session, per Greg Auman of Fox Sports, but Durham managed to upgrade his practice participation, albeit in a limited capacity. Durham will have one more chance Friday to avoid an injury designation ahead of Sunday's NFC South clash against the Falcons.

OCTOBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Sits out practice again Durham (calf) is not participating in Thursday's practice, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.

Impact Durham also sat out Wednesday's practice session, and his calf injury forced him to sit out Tampa Bay's loss to the Ravens in Week 7. The depth tight end's status again looks to be in question for Sunday's matchup against Atlanta. Ko Kieft and Devin Culp will be in line to again handle increased reserve work behind behind starter Cade Otton at the tight end position of Durham can't go.

OCTOBER 24 • ROTOWIRE

Won't suit up vs. Ravens Durham (calf) has been ruled out ahead of Monday's game against Baltimore, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Impact Durham has been unable to practice this week due to a calf injury he sustained during the Buccaneers' Week 6 win over the Saints. His next chance to suit up will be Week 8 against the Falcons on Oct. 27. Durham's absence opens the door for Ko Kieft and Devin Culp to see more snaps as the backup tight ends behind starter Cade Otton.

OCTOBER 19 • ROTOWIRE

Makes first catch of season Durham secured his only target for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 26-7 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.

Impact Durham was in on 21 percent of the snaps -- 12 plays total -- which represented a new low over his first three games. However, the second-year prop at least came away with his first reception of the season. Top tight end Cade Otton finally saw his production rise in new coordinator Liam Coen's scheme with a seven-catch outing, but Durham still doesn't have a very bright outlook as his backup considering he's primarily being used in a blocking capacity.

SEPTEMBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Makes first catch of season Durham secured his only target for eight yards in the Buccaneers' 26-7 loss to the Broncos on Sunday.

Impact Durham was in on 21 percent of the snaps -- 12 plays total -- which represented a new low over his first three games. However, the second-year pro at least came away with his first reception of the season. Top tight end Cade Otton finally saw his production rise in new coordinator Liam Coen's scheme with a seven-catch outing, but Durham still doesn't have a very bright outlook as his backup considering he's primarily being used in a blocking capacity.

SEPTEMBER 25 • ROTOWIRE

Blanked on 17 snaps in win Durham did not draw a target in the Buccaneers' 37-20 win over the Commanders on Sunday.

Impact Durham saw a modest 17 snaps from scrimmage and wasn't afforded any opportunities to touch the ball. However, it was a down game for the Buccaneers' tight ends in general, as Cade Otton saw only two targets in his own right despite playing 52 snaps. Given new offensive coordinator Liam Coen's scheme is expected to frequently deploy tight ends as pass-catching options, Week 1 might ultimately prove to be an outlier. However, Otton is the clear top target at the position, meaning Durham will still be difficult to trust on a game-to-game basis even when he does start getting more involved.

SEPTEMBER 10 • ROTOWIRE

One catch in preseason finale Durham brought in his only target for 13 yards in the Buccaneers' 24-14 preseason win over the Dolphins on Friday night.

Impact The second-year tight end was able to get in one last bit of preseason action after missing the second exhibition against the Jaguars due to a knee injury suffered during a joint practice with Jacksonville. Durham was able to practice for multiple days leading into Friday's contest against the Dolphins, so he should be set to fill his No. 2 tight end role behind Cade Otton without limitations right from the onset of the regular season.

AUGUST 26 • ROTOWIRE

Back in action Durham (knee) is practicing Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Impact Durham had been sidelined since suffering the injury last Wednesday during a joint practice with the Jaguars. His quick recovery should allow him to keep a firm grip on the team's No. 2 tight-end spot behind expected starter Cade Otton.

AUGUST 20 • ROTOWIRE

Labeled day-to-day Coach Todd Bowles said Thursday that Durham (knee) is considered day-to-day, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Impact Durham injured his knee during practice Wednesday, but at the very least it appears that the second-year pro has avoided a severe issue. It currently appears as though Durham has a solid grip on the backup spot behind No. 1 tight end Cade Otton, so his availability is key for Tampa Bay's offense. It could be difficult for Durham to get healthy in time for Saturday's preseason game against the Jaguars, however.

AUGUST 15 • ROTOWIRE

Suffers knee injury Wednesday Durham suffered a knee injury about halfway through the Buccaneers' joint practice with the Jaguars on Wednesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Impact The severity of the second-year tight end's injury is still unknown, with head coach Todd Bowles confirming Durham would be undergoing tests Wednesday afternoon. Greg Auman of FOXSports.com separately reports the initial read is that Durham's injury isn't serious, but until he can return to the field, the likes of Devin Culp, David Wells and Sal Cannella could all see more pass-catching opportunities behind Cade Otton.

AUGUST 15 • ROTOWIRE

Suffers knee injury Wednesday Durham suffered a knee injury about halfway through the Buccaneers' joint practice with the Jaguars on Wednesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Impact The severity of the second-year tight end's injury is still unknown, with head coach Todd Bowles confirming Durham would be undergoing tests Wednesday. Greg Auman of FOXSports.com reports the initial belief is that Durham's injury isn't serious, but until he can return to the field, the likes of Devin Culp, David Wells and Sal Cannella could all see more pass-catching opportunities behind No. 1 tight end Cade Otton.

AUGUST 15 • ROTOWIRE

Two grabs in preseason opener Durham secured both targets for 27 yards in the Buccaneers' 17-14 preseason win over the Bengals on Saturday night.

Impact The second-year tight end drew the start with Cade Otton sitting out with the rest of the Buccaneers' frontline skill-position players. Durham finished third in receiving yards on the night for Tampa Bay, with the highlight of his night a 16-yard grab. Durham appears to have firm grip on the No. 2 tight end job, but it was nevertheless encouraging to see him turn in a solid performance in his first in-game opportunity within new offensive coordinator Liam Coen's scheme.

AUGUST 13 • ROTOWIRE

Versatile role alongside Otton Durham is being utilized in diversified fashion alongside position mate Cade Otton in offensive coordinator Liam Coen's scheme, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

Impact Durham is being split out wide within several of Coen's personnel groupings, a development that dovetails well with the new coordinator's guiding principle of utilizing a plethora of methods to keep defenses off balance. Durham is seemingly a strong candidate to threaten as either a decoy or the intended target, considering he averaged 11.6 yards per reception on his five regular-season catches as a rookie in 2023 and recorded 126 catches and 21 touchdowns during a 36-game college career at Purdue. Scott Smith of the team's official site reports Durham feels much more comfortable over the first two weeks of his second training camp, noting the talented tight end feels the offseason work he put in taking hold and the game slowing down for him as a whole despite the fact he's learning a new offense.

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Payne Durham's Confidence Heading Into 2024 | Press Conference Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tight End Payne Durham spoke to the media following Saturday's 2024 Training Camp practice. TE Durham discussed being c...

AUGUST 3 • BUCCANEERS.COM

Highlight: Payne Durham Shakes A Defender On Perfect Route Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE Payne Durham runs a route to perfection for a first down and more during Buccaneers 2024 Training Camp.

AUGUST 2 • BUCCANEERS.COM

Solid with limited opportunities Durham was active for 13 regular-season games during the 2023 season, securing five of seven targets for 58 yards. He added an 18-yard reception on his only target over two postsea...

Impact The rookie fifth-round pick was a clear No. 2 pass-catching option at tight end behind Cade Otton, who was healthy for all 17 regular-season games and both postseason contests. However, Durham flashed some field-stretch ability with his sparse opportunities, recording double-digit yardage on three catches when factoring in his one postseason grab. Otton heads into the offseason with a clear grasp on the top job at the position, but Durham could potentially earn his way onto the field more often in 2024 while working in a new offense, and potentially, with a new quarterback.

FEBRUARY 1 • ROTOWIRE

Payne Durham on His Development, 'Make Plays When I Can' | Press Conference Tight End Payne Durham spoke to the media after Thursday's Week 13 practice. TE discussed his SportsCenter Top Ten catch vs. the Colts and t...

NOVEMBER 30, 2023 • BUCCANEERS.COM

On stat sheet for second straight Durham brought in his only target for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 27-20 loss to the Colts on Sunday.

Impact The rookie tight end was a healthy scratch for the first four game of his career before recording one catch for eight yards on three targets over his first five games with active status. However, after posting a 2-13 line on a pair of targets in Week 11 against the 49rs, Durham was able to get back on the stat sheet again Sunday while logging 12 snaps for the second straight contest. Despite the very modest surge in production, Durham remains a distant No. 2 pass-catching option at tight end behind Cade Otton.

NOVEMBER 28, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Makes NFL debut Durham played six of the Buccaneers' 56 snaps on offense and hauled in his lone target for an eight-yard gain in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Lions.

Impact Durham was a healthy inactive for the Buccaneers' first four games of the season, but the rookie fifth-round pick out of Purdue got the chance to make his NFL debut Sunday following Tampa Bay's Week 5 bye. The Buccaneers kept him active as their No. 3 tight end over David Wells, with Durham ranking behind starter Cade Otton (54 snaps) and Ko Kieft (14 snaps) in playing time. The coaching staff values Kieft for his blocking skills, and though Durham brings more pass-catching upside to the table, he may not have much of an opportunity to move up to the second position on the depth chart.

OCTOBER 18, 2023 • ROTOWIRE

Baker Mayfield Delivers a Tight Window Throw to Payne Durham | Highlight TE Payne Durham hauls in a pass in tight coverage from QB Baker Mayfield during 2023 Buccaneers Training Camp.

AUGUST 14, 2023 • BUCCANEERS.COM

John Wolford Tosses TD to Payne Durham | Steelers vs. Bucs Highlights TE Payne Durham catches a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Preseason Week 1.

AUGUST 12, 2023 • BUCCANEERS.COM