The Buccaneers could be looking to move O.J. Howard. They’ve had him for three years, and they’ve been unable to get him going.
Howard is entering the fourth of his rookie contract, and the team has until May 30 to decide whether to pick up the fifth-year option. That’s not as big of a decision as some other positions – they would be committing to about $6 million for a fifth year.
But it might make more sense to the Bucs to simply recoup some on their investment and move on. He hasn’t been what they were hoping for, and Howard last year was demoted into more of a blocking role. His hands and route-running aren’t great – at least they haven’t been so far. His only touchdown last year came when he was left uncovered by Arizona (which had about the worst defense against tight ends in league history).
Tampa Bay has Tom Brady now, of course, and he had a lot of success with tight ends in New England. Maybe they feel he might be able to bring Howard to life. But Brady has worked best with meticulous, detailed-oriented players who run their routes in the exact, specific way. That doesn’t seem to be Howard.
The Bucs have another tight end, Cameron Brate, who is probably a better route runner and pass catcher. I think he’ll be their top guy at the position. (I also have a soft spot for one of the bottom players on their roster – Tanner Hudson looked very good in the preseason last year).
I think they’ll move Howard before the end of the draft. Key will be whether there’s a team out there that feels it can bring to life his speed and athleticism.
Howard is one of the more athletic tight ends in the league. He has proven that he can get downfield for big plays. He caught touchdowns from 75, 58, 33 and 30 yards in his first two seasons.
Over the last two years, he’s averaged 15.1 yards per catch – tops among tight ends with at least 60 catches. Brate, on the other hand, has tended to operate around the line of scrimmage. He’s averaged 9.1 yards per reception over the last two years (next to last).
I wonder if the Patriots would make an offer for Howard? They were one of the teams rumored to be interested him at the trade deadline. They certainly have a need at the position. Bill Belichick and Nick Saban are tight; if Saban were to vouch for Howard, that might help entice Belichick to make an offer.
| TIGHT ENDS: YARDS PER CATCH (last 2 years) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yards | Avg | TD |
| O.J. Howard, T.B. | 68 | 1,024 | 15.1 | 6 |
| Jared Cook, Oak.-N.O. | 111 | 1,601 | 14.4 | 15 |
| Mark Andrews, Balt. | 98 | 1,404 | 14.3 | 13 |
| George Kittle, S.F. | 173 | 2,430 | 14.0 | 10 |
| Travis Kelce, K.C. | 200 | 2,565 | 12.8 | 16 |
| Darren Waller, Oak. | 96 | 1,220 | 12.7 | 3 |
| Evan Engram, NYG | 89 | 1,044 | 11.7 | 6 |
| Jimmy Graham, G.B. | 93 | 1,083 | 11.6 | 5 |
| Eric Ebron, Ind. | 97 | 1,125 | 11.6 | 17 |
| Greg Olsen, Car. | 79 | 888 | 11.2 | 6 |
| David Njoku, Cle. | 61 | 680 | 11.1 | 5 |
| Tyler Higbee, LAR | 93 | 1,026 | 11.0 | 5 |
| Mike Gesicki, Mia. | 73 | 772 | 10.6 | 5 |
| Gerald Everett, LAR | 70 | 728 | 10.4 | 5 |
| Dallas Goedert, Phil. | 91 | 941 | 10.3 | 9 |
| Zach Ertz, Phil. | 204 | 2,079 | 10.2 | 14 |
| Jack Doyle, Ind. | 69 | 693 | 10.0 | 6 |
| Vance McDonald, Pitt. | 88 | 883 | 10.0 | 7 |
| Austin Hooper, Atl. | 146 | 1,447 | 9.9 | 10 |
| C.J. Uzomah, Cin. | 70 | 681 | 9.7 | 5 |
| Kyle Rudolph, Min. | 103 | 1,001 | 9.7 | 10 |
| Trey Burton, Chi. | 68 | 653 | 9.6 | 6 |
| Cameron Brate, T.B. | 66 | 600 | 9.1 | 10 |
| Jason Witten, Dall. | 63 | 529 | 8.4 | 4 |
—Ian Allan