TAMPA, Fla. -- He came up to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler after Sunday's game and said, "I'm a big fan," gushed the Naperville, Illinois, native. "He looked confused. He had no idea who I was, which was expected, but I shook his hand, which was cool."

It won't be long before that changes, and the NFL world will know who Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate is. He has caught a touchdown pass in three straight games, and with five touchdowns this season, is tied for the most touchdowns from tight ends in the league.

If he keeps performing this way, one day players will be lining up to meet him. For now though, the Harvard grad will keep his self-deprecating sense of humor. On his touchdown Sunday, a 10-yard strike from Jameis Winston, he knew the ball was coming his way. His response to that was, "I didn't trip or anything."

Brate's performance was much more than that Sunday. He was a perfect 7-for-7, catching every pass thrown his way on a day when receiver Mike Evans saw more double coverage than he has all season and the Bears smothered the Bucs' ground game, holding them to 80 rushing yards -- their third-lowest rushing total of the season. The Bucs have also been without their No. 2 receiver, Vincent Jackson, and another top Winston target, Russell Shepard.

"When it's time for him to step up, he always finds a way," said Winston, who believes Brate is one of the most underrated tight ends in the league. "He’s always having a good game. He’s definitely one of our top targets."

The chemistry between No. 3 and No. 84 began last season amid similar circumstances -- with Jackson and Louis Murphy sidelined with injury, along with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who has since been traded to the Jets. Brate had been waived by the Bucs earlier in the season and was re-signed from the Saints' practice squad. By the time training camp rolled around, Brate had emerged as the team's top tight end.

Winston said Brate's success is because of his work ethic. "Cam is in there as long as I'm in there," Winston said. "Cam is [staying] after practice, working on his craft, day after day, working on his body, day after day. Hard work pays off and he’s definitely a hard worker."

In the past four weeks, Brate has managed 18 catches. Only three other tight ends in the league have more, and none have scored as many times as Brate. Eventually the world has to take notice, right? Brate's friends have, which is a start. They were blowing up his phone after Sunday's game.

"I'm trying to get my [fantasy] ownership up a little bit there," Brate said with a smile. "I told my friends that they gotta give me some kickbacks if they win now."