TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are sitting atop the NFL in passing yards and a big reason why has been the play of tight ends Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard, whose seven combined touchdowns in six games are more than any other team in the league this year.

They're also sitting atop the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles for most receiving yards and with the New England Patriots for most explosive plays -- pass plays of 16 yards or more -- from tight ends despite playing one less game.

Brate has four touchdowns in six games, and Howard, their first-round draft pick, enjoyed a breakout game last week against the Buffalo Bills, scoring two touchdowns to bring his total to three for the year.

"We definitely have a lot of those plays in our playbook that give the tight ends a chance to make plays," said Howard, who is also enjoying a lot of success as a run blocker. "It's always exciting to have those opportunities and to make the most of them. That's what it's all about, being a playmaker, helping your team the best way you can."

How good can this duo be together? For comparison, the 2011 New England Patriots had 24 regular-season touchdowns from Rob Gronkowski (17) and Aaron Hernandez (7). The New Orleans Saints had 19 in 2013 with Jimmy Graham (16) and Ben Watson (2) and Josh Hill (1).

Their strength is in numbers. Five of the Bucs' seven touchdowns have come while they're out on the field together in two-tight-end sets (21 personnel). One even came when they were in a three-tight-end set (13 personnel).

"Having two tight ends that are able to both block and catch, it's pretty hard for defenses to defend," said Brate, adding that Mike Evans's being double-teamed has helped them. "As long as we keep improving, keep pushing each other, we think the sky's the limit for us."

Brate and Howard have emphasized that there are no egos and the coaching staff hasn't seen that either. Their roles are different. Howard's job as the "X" tight end means he has to do a lot of the dirty work in the trenches as a run blocker, while Brate has the H-back role, so he is primarily used as a receiver.

Brate is used a lot in the red zone and in short-to-intermediate passes, while Howard, who clocked a 4.51 at the NFL combine this year, can sell his blocking and sprint hard downfield on deep passes, going virtually untouched. Howard did a lot of run-blocking at Alabama and didn't see a ton of passes go his way, but when he did, they were for big, big gains.

Brate was part of an offense that utilized two-tight-end sets extensively at Harvard, which helped him to 18 touchdowns, fourth-most in school history.

"I just look at it as they're two good football players and both are really dangerous in the passing game," said head coach Dirk Koetter. "Both, for tight ends, are good route runners. Both catch the ball. O.J. [has] really good speed. Cam has an uncanny ability to twist his body and get open. I just look at it as two tight ends that can really play."