Rob Gronkowski joining the Buccaneers could open the door for the 49ers to facilitate a trade for TE OJ Howard.
The Patriots and Buccaneers on Tuesday agreed to a trade that sent formerly retired tight end Rob Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick to Tampa Bay in exchange for a fourth-round selection. The move reunited Gronkowski with his former quarterback in his new home about a year after the tight end’s initial retirement. It also gave the Buccaneers a glut of talent at tight end with Gronkowski, Cameron Brate, and former first-round pick OJ Howard.
Tampa Bay’s altered tight end situation suddenly becomes intriguing for the 49ers – a team that pursued Austin Hooper in free agency before he signed a deal with the Browns that made him the highest-paid tight end in NFL history. It’s clear the 49ers are looking for an upgrade behind George Kittle, and the Bucs may be able to offer that without asking an exorbitant price.
Howard, 25, has been the subject of trade rumors since a disappointing start to his career. He’s a superb athlete and a very productive college player at Alabama, but that hasn’t quite translated into big-time NFL success. In 38 games, the three-year veteran has 94 catches, 1,456 yards and 12 touchdowns. His production isn’t likely to get better entering Year 4 with players like Brate and Gronkowski to split targets with.
San Francisco could certainly use a tight end with his skill set next to Kittle. He’s a good run blocker and has elite athleticism for his position. It’s easy to imagine the different ways 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would use a player like Howard to create mismatches and generate big plays down the field off play action.
The fit is nearly perfect.
The question comes in the form of compensation. While the idea of Howard in the 49ers’ offense makes a lot of sense, he’d still be a No. 2 tight end. Last year’s backup tight end Ross Dwelley started six games filling in for Kittle and fullback Kyle Juszczyk, and he still played fewer than 34 percent of the team’s offensive snaps. Even if Howard matched or eclipsed that by a little, it wouldn’t be worth giving up a first-round pick, or a second-rounder should the 49ers acquire one in a move back.
A swap involving Howard likely only comes to fruition in a couple scenarios.
The first is that the Buccaneers take a fifth-round pick (or less) in exchange for the former No. 19 overall pick. That would match the compensation the Jaguars received for defensive lineman Calais Campbell, but it doesn’t mean the Bucs would be willing to part ways with Howard for the same price or less. If they did agree to that sort of deal, the 49ers would very likely pull the trigger.
The second scenario involves the 49ers unloading a player at a position where they currently have a surplus. Running back Matt Breida is perhaps the 49ers’ most desirable, tradable asset in the backfield. The Buccaneers are in the market for a reliable, versatile running back, and Breida has been that for most of his three seasons in San Francisco. He’s averaging more than 5.0 yards per carry, and he’s on a one-year restricted free agent tender that pays him an affordable $3.259 million next season. Adding Breida to an already explosive offense has to be enticing for the Bucs, and it’d probably be worth parting with Howard to acquire him.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Tuesday noted that there’s no trade imminent for the Bucs involving their tight end, but the Gronkowski trade means one of their players at that spot could be on the move. If Howard is made available, the 49ers should be the first team on the phone.
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