O.J. Howard – Page 5 – Syndication Server

O.J. Howard, Bruce Arians are now Super Bowl champions

O.J. Howard and Bruce Arians both have connections to Alabama football. They are also both Super Bowl champions after Sunday night.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9 in Super Bowl LV on Sunday night. Yes, that means Tom Brady won ring No. 7, but the victory also had an impact on a couple people connected to Alabama.

First off, former Crimson Tide tight end O.J. Howard got his first Super Bowl ring. After totaling 114 receptions for 1,726 yards and seven touchdowns in four seasons at Alabama, Howard went on to be a first-round draft pick by the Buccaneers.

He’s been an important part of the offense for the last three seasons, but a ruptured Achilles back in October forced him out for the season. Still, he is now a Super Bowl champion.

Arians is Tampa Bay’s head coach, but many forget that he spent time at Alabama several years ago. He coached under Paul “Bear” Bryant in the early 80’s and was the team’s offensive coordinator in 1997. Over 20 years later, and he’s now hoisting a Lombardi Trophy.

Good for Arians, and good for Howard.

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Super Bowl LV: Two former Alabama players have a shot at rings

Two former Alabama standouts are looking to get Super Bowl rings on Sunday. And regardless of the outcome, one will achieve that goal.

Super Bowl LV is set to get underway on Sunday. Two of the league’s best teams, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, are set to face-off to close out the NFL season.

Despite the fact that Alabama has more players in the NFL than any other college team, there are only two former Crimson Tide standouts who will have a chance at a Super Bowl ring.

If Tampa Bay wins, former star tight end O.J. Howard will get his first. Unfortunately, he will not be playing in the game after missing most of the 2020 season with a ruptured Achilles.

It’s unfortunate because Howard was expected to be part of a nice trio of tight ends, including Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate, for the Bucs. In 42 career games, Howard has 105 receptions for 1,602 yards and 14 touchdowns.

For the Chiefs, former Alabama wide receiver Gehrig Dieter will be looking for a second Super Bowl ring after helping the team win one in 2019. The third-year receiver is on the practice squad, however, so don’t expect to see him on Sunday.

It’s odd that the two teams participating in this year’s Super Bowl have such a small Alabama presence. But that’s how things played out.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion.

Download the USA TODAY SportsWire app to follow Roll Tide Wire and your other favorite teams in the Apple Store for iPhones and Google Play for Android devices.

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REPORT: O.J. Howard suffers ruptured Achilles, likely out for remainder of season

former Alabama TE oj howard suffered a ruptured achilles against the loas angeles chargers and will likely miss the remainder of the season.

Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard has had an interesting time in his first few years in the NFL. Now, in season No. 4, he might be out for the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles injury during Tampa Bay’s Week 4 contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Howard, who was drafted with the No. 19 overall selection in the 2017 NFL draft by Tampa Bay, has found success with his new quarterback, Tom Brady.

So far in 2020, Howard has 11 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Today, the Buccaneer’s Week 4 game vs. the Chargers, the Alabama product reeled in three receptions for 50 yards and a 28-yard touchdown.

NFL insider for ESPN, Field Yates, reported on Buccaneers head coach, Bruce Arians, claiming Howard suffered a ruptured Achilles and is likely out for the season.

Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Howard’s health and his chances of returning in the 2020 season.

Targets, Touches and TDs: Week 3

A comparison of some fantasy-worthy weapons from 2019 to the start of his season.

The first few weeks of every NFL season introduce us to the fresh faces that will shape fantasy football’s future.

They also start to reveal which of the prior season’s fantasy disappointments and injured players are on track to bounce back and which likely will remain underperformers.

So to lead off this week’s installment of Targets, Touches and Touchdowns, we’re taking a closer look at how of eight of 2019’s more notable disappointments/injured players are faring so far in the new campaign and their prospects for the remainder of the season:

Cleveland Browns QB Baker Mayfield

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 16^th with 311.4 points (16 games)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 25^th with 33.2 points

We may soon come to regard Mayfield’s Week 1 struggles against Baltimore (189 yards, TD, interception) as par for the course against a fearsome Ravens defense, but while his Week 2 outing against the Cincinnati Bengals (219 yards, 2 TDs, interception) was much improved from an efficiency standpoint, it’s the overall volume that’s concerning.

The Browns put up 35 points in the shootout win over the Bengals, but Mayfield only attempted 23 passes, ranking 29^th among Week 2 quarterbacks through play Sunday. His aerial yardage (219, 23^rd) and fantasy-point totals (19.4, 20^th) ranked likewise.

Meanwhile, the Browns featured not one, but two top-five Week 2 fantasy backs in Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, who combined for 210 yards and three TDs in steamrolling the Bengals.

Through Sunday, Cleveland ranked eighth in league rushing play percentage (49.2) and that’s reflected in Mayfield’s season passing totals as he ranked 24^th in attempts (62), 25^th in completions (37) and 24^th in passing yards (408). He doesn’t add much with his legs, either, with eight yards on five carries so far.

Overall, the Browns’ 353 rushing yards through two games trailed only the Packers (417), and that’s likely what Cleveland is shaping up to be under new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who served as the offensive coordinator of the run-heavy Vikings (48.3 rush-play percentage, fourth in the league in 2019).

Mayfield’s efficiency is bound to improve with defenses forced to focus on the Browns’ ground game, but it’s hard to see Mayfield finishing much higher that what he did a season ago as a mid-level fantasy QB2.

Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 29^th with 207.6 points (8 games)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 17^th with 41.8 points

At the time a back fracture cut his 2010 campaign a half-season short, Stafford ranked among the elite fantasy QBs, and his average of 25.9 points per game wound up trailing only Lamar Jackson (30.9) and Jameis Winston (26.1) at season’s end.

Stafford has looked good, health-wise, so far, but his numbers are well off his early 2019 pace.

Consider, though, that he’s faced two decent in-division defenses (Bears, Packers) that know him well, and – more importantly – he’s been without his top weapon so far in injured wide receiver Kenny Golladay, who’s tentatively due back from a hamstring issue this week.

The Lions defense appears to still have its shortcomings, and that should lend itself to some positive passing game scripts for Stafford. Regard him as an upper-echelon QB2 the rest of the way with some strong streaming appeal.

Houston Texans RB David Johnson

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 36^th with 107.5 points in 13 games (standard scoring)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 21^st with 21.9 points

Johnson was cast aside in Arizona last season, and was readily dealt to the Texans as the Cardinals jumped at the chance to acquire an elite wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins. With the latter’s hot start in the desert for the 2-0 Cards, that trade is looking as lopsided as it was made out to be from the outset.

Johnson, meanwhile, had a solid Week 1 (109 total yards, TD) but was stifled (50 total yards) along with the rest of the offense in Sunday’s 33-16 loss to the Ravens.

With Duke Johnson hurt, David Johnson has been Houston’s unquestioned bellcow so far, logging 22 of the team’s 27 running back rushing attempts and all five of the non-wide receiver/tight end receptions.

Duke Johnson should be back soon from his ankle sprain suffered in the opener, but David Johnson still should dominate the backfield touches, and that rarity alone puts him in solid RB2 territory going forward.

Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 34^th with 113.5 points in 10 games (standard scoring)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 25^th with 21.9 points

It looked to be déjà vu all over again in the season opener as Conner departed with an ankle injury after 15 snaps and 17 total yards on eight touches.

However, he bounced back solidly with a near-full week of practice and totaled 121 yards and a TD on 18 touches Sunday in a 26-21 win over the Denver Broncos. In all, Conner accounted for 16 of the team’s 19 running back rushing attempts and 18 of the 23 RB touches in the game.

In an offense that’s been rejuvenated with the return of QB Ben Roethlisberger, and should get fortified along the offensive front when linemen return from early-season injury absences, Conner should be a locked-in fantasy starter.

That is, of course, as long as he can stay healthy, which has been an issue the last two seasons when he’s missed a combined five games and left early in a number of others.

Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr.

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 31^st with 128.5 points (standard scoring)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 34^th with 15.6 points.

Following a Week 1 dud (three catches for 22 yards on 10 targets) against the Ravens, OBJ bounced back with a 4-74-1 stat line last Thursday on six targets vs. the Bengals.

Still, it was only Beckham’s fifth touchdown grab in 18 games since joining the Browns last season.

On the plus side, he is the team’s only pass-catcher with double-digit targets (16) through two games and has so far managed to avoid the injury bug that has struck a number of other top wideouts around the league.

The aforementioned likely decrease in the Browns’ overall pass volume figures to hurt others on the team more proportionally as OBJ should still get plenty of looks – more than enough to finish as a solid WR2 in a semi-bounce-back season.

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Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 63^rd with 73.2 points in 12 games (standard scoring)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 13^th with 23.7 points

JJSS struggled through a dismal 2019 with injuries and the failed Mason Rudolph-Duck Hodges backup plan under center.

A marked reversal of fortune was expected for Smith-Schuster, and that certainly looks to be the case so far after he burst out of the gate with six receptions for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the opener.

There’s always the worry that another injury to the 38-year-old Roethlisberger could again sink the Steelers’ offensive ship – Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs are the backups – but as long as Big Ben remains upright, it’s full-speed ahead for Smith-Schuster as a fantasy wide receiver starter.

Cincinnati Bengals WR A.J. Green

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): Missed season

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 75^th with 8.0 points (standard scoring)

Green hasn’t been on the same page so far with new QB Joe Burrow as he’s been targeted a team-high 22 times (tied for fourth among all league wideouts) – nine more than any other Bengal – and has caught only eight for 80 yards and no scores.

Perhaps, though, some of this is age and inactivity catching up with the 32-year-old Green who entered the season having not played a full regular-season game since October of 2018.

In any case, Green will need time to get back into game form, and while his days as a WR1 are likely long gone, he still has enough opportunity and talent to take his place on the list of weekly starting wide receiver considerations.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard

2019 fantasy position rank/points (Huddle Performance scoring): 30^th with 50.9 points in 14 games (standard scoring)

Current fantasy position rank/points (through Sunday): 19^th with 10.7 points

After opening the season with a 4-36-1 stat line on six targets, Howard was a Week 2 letdown with one 11-yard grab on three targets. And that was with Tampa’s top target, WR Chris Godwin, missing the game with a concussion.

Tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate are still there as well, but that trio has combined for only seven receptions for 58 yards on 13 targets (all Howard and Gronk so far), and until we see more usage, the Bruce Arians-being-non-tight-end-friendly stigma is going to ring with some truth.

Howard likely will wind up leading the Bucs’ tight ends in fantasy points, but there’s serious doubt as to whether he will be start worthy on a week-to-week basis in standard-size fantasy leagues.

Extra Points

Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen leads the league with 729 passing yards after throwing for 312 and 417 yards in his first two games. In the first 29 contests of his career, including a playoff contest, Allen didn’t throw for more than 266 yards, averaging 197.5 yards per outing. Allen also currently ranks fourth among QBs with 75 rushing yards on 18 carries this season.
Fantasy’s No. 1 wide receiver through Sunday is the Atlanta Falcons’ Calvin Ridley with 47.8 points (63.8 in point-per-reception formats). Since entering the league in 2018, Ridley is tied with Kansas City Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill with the most receiving TDs with 21. By comparison, Falcons teammate Julio Jones ranks 21^stwith 14 scoring grabs over that span but has 136 more targets and 80 more receptions than Ridley.
On the subject of wide receiver teammate stat comparisons, Dallas Cowboys rookie CeeDee Lamb has five more targets (15-10), six more receptions (11-5) and 57 more receiving yards than Michael Gallup through two games. Fellow wideout Amari Cooper leads the team with 16 receptions for 181 yards on 23 targets.
Through Sunday, Seattle Seahawks RB Chris Carson was the only running back with multiple TD receptions (three) and ranks second at the position with nine catches and 81 receiving yards. In 33 career games entering the season, Carson had 64 receptions for 488 yards and three scores.
After a quiet Week 1, Los Angeles Rams TE Tyler Higbee exploded for three TDs and 54 yards on five catches Sunday in Philadelphia. Since Week 13 of last season, Higbee leads all tight ends with 91.6 fantasy points, catching 51 passes for 616 yards and five TDs in seven games.

O.J. Howard’s latest Instagram post shows he’s ready to get to work

Take a look at Bucs tight end O.J. Howard’s latest Instagram story, which might be a peek into his psyche.

The NFL draft came and went without tight end O.J. Howard being traded. The Buccaneers were thought to be looking to move the former Alabama star after they acquired Rob Gronkowski in a trade with the Patriots.

But GM Jason Licht says the team is looking forward to having Howard on the roster, so it appears as though Howard will join a tight end group that includes both Gronkowski and Cameron Brate.

If Howard feels slighted by the team’s trade for Gronk, he isn’t showing it (at least not publicly). Instead, it seems as though he’s ready to put in the work to get better. Howard took to his Instagram story today to give fans a look into his current state.

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You won’t believe which tight end Bill Barnwell thinks the Bucs could trade

See why Bill Barnwell of ESPN believes the Buccaneers could end up trading this tight end down the road.

The NFL draft came and went, and despite rumors that Bucs tight end O.J. Howard could be moved in a trade, especially after Tampa Bay acquired Rob Gronkowski in a trade with the Patriots, the former first-round pick remains on the roster.

With their top three tight ends accounting for nearly $20 million in salary next season, the Bucs could very well decide to move a tight end down the road. And, in his latest column predicting the player most likely to be cut or traded by his team, Bill Barnwell pegged Cameron Brate as that player for the Bucs.

Per Barnwell:

“I thought it made more sense for the Bucs to move on from the more-expensive Brate as opposed to former first-round pick O.J. Howard. Tampa general manager Jason Licht has since gone on to say he wasn’t looking to deal Howard, and while that could be a negotiating ploy, the draft came and went without a Howard deal. The Bucs could still keep all three tight ends, but as veterans who might help their defense come free, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tampa clears out cap space with a Brate trade.”

I think the Bucs will wait and see whether Brate or Howard emerge as Brady’s second option at tight end. Howard did exceptionally well as a blocker last year, so the Bucs may be more interested in keeping him around for that. We’ll have a better idea of how this team will look once we see them on the field together. Hopefully, we won’t have to wait much longer.

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6 stars who could get traded during the 2020 NFL Draft

A quarterback, a receiver, a tight end, a defensive end and two offensive linemen.

The 2020 NFL draft may prove the tipping point for teams interested in spinning a trade. It’s one thing to consider a trade when a team is offering draft picks. But it’s another thing entirely when teams know which draft prospect, exactly, they might actually get in exchange for the veteran. So perhaps, with that in mind, NFL teams will complete the trades they’ve been mulling for the past few months.

This year, there are a handful of stars potentially on the move. We actually saw one pre-draft trade already, with the New England Patriots moving tight end Rob Gronkowski to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Surely, more trades are coming. Here’s a look at six players who could be a part of the upcoming deals.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Jaguars

He has made his trade demands loud and clear. Those demands are so loud and so clear, however, that Jaguars co-owner Tony Khan seems to be having trouble trading Ngakoue. (They had a public fight on Twitter.)

Ngakoue is a solid talent at defensive end, with 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons. But because his relationship with the team is a mess, the Jaguars are unlikely to get much in return for him.

Trent Williams, OT, Redskins

Another superstar. Another broken relationship with his team.

Williams held out for all of 2019 in hopes Washington would trade him. The team did not. But perhaps NFL teams will finally make offers worthy of the Redskins’ consideration. The impressive draft class of tackles, however, should complicate Williams’ value.

Joe Thuney, OG, Patriots

When the Patriots tagged him, they put themselves in a financial bind. Basically, they couldn’t afford Thuney on the franchise tag. But they seemed to intend to do one of two things: either extend his contract or trade him. Neither thing has happened yet, and because the Patriots’ talks with Thuney aren’t looking promising, according to ESPN, a trade seems like a likely outcome.

O.J. Howard, TE, Buccaneers

Somehow, Gronk went to Tampa and neither Cameron Brate nor Howard ended up in New England. That means the Bucs are probably shopping both of them, with Howard trade talks dominating the news cycle.

Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Browns

It wouldn’t be a listicle about superstar trades without Beckham. The Browns have said they’re not accepting trade offers on their top wideout, but we’ve heard that refrain before about stars, right before they get moved. Beckham doesn’t seem to be a good fit with quarterback Baker Mayfield. Maybe coach Kevin Stefanski can help make it work. Maybe he’d be OK with moving on.

Andy Dalton, QB, Bengals

Teams would be smart to wait until Cincinnati releases Dalton, which would free them up to sign him at a discounted rate. The Bengals are going to pretend like they want to keep him on the roster, but that feels unlikely, considering the frugal franchise won’t want to waste $17.5 million on a quarterback they’re not going to play, especially when cutting him creates zero dollars in dead cap space.

If a quarter-back needy team is in love with Dalton, then perhaps he’ll be on the move. That said, I don’t see a match. The Patriots don’t have the cap space to fit Dalton. The Chargers and Raiders seem content with the veterans on the roster. And the Jaguars are happy to ride with Gardner Minshew — it would be silly to swap Nick Foles’ for Dalton’s. But draft day comes with surprises. You never know.

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Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard trade makes sense for Ravens at the right price

After trading away Hayden Hurst this offseason, the Baltimore Ravens should be eyeing up a trade for Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard

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The Baltimore Ravens saw a position of depth become a position of need when they traded tight end Hayden Hurst to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. One of the strongest tight end rooms in the league was broken up and it has the Ravens looking for another quality piece entering the 2020 NFL Draft. However, a trade got Baltimore into this and a trade could get them out.

Even before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Rob Gronkowski from the New England Patriots, O.J. Howard was on the trading block, according to the Athletic’s Michael Lombardi. It’s a trade the Ravens should at least look into and, depending on the price, pull off.

Howard was the No. 19 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama. Though he hasn’t exactly lived up to that draft status, his career hasn’t been a total bust. He’s caught 94 passes for 1,456 yards and 12 touchdowns throughout his three years with Tampa Bay. That isn’t otherworldly production, but it’s not anything to scoff at either.

There’s a reason Howard was taken so high in the draft, even if he hasn’t panned out perfectly. He’s extremely athletic and a proficient route runner. While he’s struggled with drops at times, he’s also flashed the potential to be an elite receiving target as well. He might not be a great blocker but he’s been used in that role with the Buccaneers at times as well. He’d likely have a similar role as Mark Andrews in Baltimore, which could be deadly in this offense.

With Gronkowski now in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers have killed much of their trade value in Howard. It seems obvious that he’s on his way out now and that could benefit the Ravens. Though Baltimore got a second-round pick in return for Hurst, Howard could come a lot cheaper right ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. A late fourth-round pick might be enough to get the trade done, which would be a small amount to pay for a proven player, especially with a lackluster draft class at tight end and an even weaker free-agent market as Baltimore’s other options.

As long as the Ravens pay less in a trade for Howard than they received for Hurst, it would be a net positive for them. They’d have replaced a starting-quality tight end with a starting-quality tight end while gaining extra draft capital in the process. That’s the type of magic we’ve come to expect from Baltimore’s front office.

There’s no guarantee the Ravens even view Howard as a trade target or that he’ll be traded at all. However, with a clear need for another tight end, Howard is the proven and potentially cheap answer here.

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The Buccaneers trade for Rob Gronkowski is fun but probably won’t matter. Here’s why.

Rob Gronkowski is not going to move the needle for the 2020 Buccaneers.

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski are reuniting in Tampa Bay. A month after signing the greatest quarterback in NFL history, the Buccaneers have traded a fourth-round pick for the greatest tight end in NFL history.

From the Patriots’ perspective, it’s a no-brainer move. They’re picking up an extra draft pick for a guy who was wrestling in the WWE. For the Bucs, it’s a little more complicated than that.

The move will undoubtedly make Brady happy, but will it make the Bucs any better?

The rational part of my brain says no. When Gronk retired, he was coming off a rough season in which he graded as the ninth-best tight end in the league, per Pro Football Focus. O.J. Howard, the incumbent starter at tight end, who will almost certainly be traded now, graded out as the second-best player at the position that same season.

The 2019 season was a different story for Howard. He wasn’t properly utilized by new coach Bruce Arians and his production fell off a cliff. His talent was still evident on tape, however. At this point in their careers, Howard is probably a better player than Gronk. He’s certainly a better long-term answer at tight end.

But now Howard can be dealt and Arians doesn’t have to worry about finding his replacement. He found that replacement for a Day 3 pick. Not bad. The Buccaneers really aren’t taking much of a risk here, and let’s be honest: GM Jason Licht was probably going to waste that pick on a kicker, anyway.

So what can the Bucs expect from Gronk?

Let’s go back to the 2018 season to try to figure that out. Gronk did not look good the last time we saw him play football. At least relative to the lofty standards he had set throughout his career. He was dealing with a crippling back injury and it showed on tape. That last time we saw him on a football field, Gronk was a lumbering route-runner who was no longer the monster after the catch he had once been, ranking 16th in Next Gen Stats’ Expected YAC Plus-Minus metric.

But even with the injuries slowing him down, Gronkowski was still a productive receiver when available. In 13 games, he caught 47 passes for 682 yards and three touchdowns. The volume isn’t all that impressive, but on a per-target basis, Gronk was still one of the best receiving options at the tight end position. Per Sports Info Solutions, his targets averaged 0.30 Expected Points Added per play, which ranked seventh among tight ends who were targeted at least 40 times.

(This is where a cynic would point out that Howard’s targets averaged 0.51 EPA, which ranked second in the NFL in 2018. But I’m not going to do that.)

So if Gronk was that good with a malfunctioning back, imagine what he can be when fully healthy! Well, that brings up another concern: Gronk hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2011. Over his past five seasons, he’s averaged only 11.2 starts per year. Now he’s 30. And, sure, he’s coming off a year of rest, but football is a grueling sport. That year off isn’t going offset the decade of punishment his body has already taken; nor will it fully prepare his body for the year of punishment it’s about to take.

It’s possible — and even likely — that, in 2020, we’ll see the same injured Gronk we saw in 2018 … only now he’s two years older and playing in an offense he’s not familiar with.

If that’s how things play out, we’ll probably look back at this trade (and the expected trade of Howard) as a mistake. It won’t be a mistake that sets this franchise back, however.

The Buccaneers’ chances (at least in the short term) are entirely dependant on the play of Tom Brady. If he returns to elite form, it won’t matter if Gronk plays well or not. And the same will be true if Brady’s play continues to decline.

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Bengals should be all over Buccaneers about O.J. Howard trade after Gronk news

The Cincinnati Bengals should call the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about O.J. Howard.

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The Cincinnati Bengals should have an eye on the fact the New England Patriots just traded Rob Gronkowski to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Why? Now the Buccaneers might have an interest in moving on from O.J. Howard.

Howard, the 19th pick in 2017, hasn’t met expectations for the Buccaneers. With Gronkowski reuniting with Tom Brady and Cameron Brate on a big-money contract, the Buccaneers might be willing to part with Howard. And he’s been the subject of trade rumors recently.

So why should the Bengals have an interest in Howard? For one, he’d probably come cheap during the draft if the Bucs just want to move on. And speaking of cheap, he’s still got at least one more year on a rookie contract.

Granted, tight end isn’t the biggest need in Cincinnati right now. But why not add Howard to a room with reliable veteran C.J. Uzomah and second-round pick Drew Sample?

After all, it wasn’t long ago the Bucs were widely praised for nailing down Howard because of his upside. There is always a chance a new locale and coaching staff could unlock that potential.

If the price is a bargain in the mid-round or later range, the Bengals could swap an unknown commodity for a former top-20 player who still has a chance to help a Joe Burrow-led offense.

More aggressive than usual this offseason, the Bengals could benefit from at least reaching out to make an offer on Howard for the chance to add dramatically more upside to an offensive skill room.

“Do you hate this? Love it? Want to share your thoughts on this article? Sound off in the Bengals Wire forum!”

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