Tag: OJ Howard

Former Bills TE OJ Howard signs with Texans

Former #Bills TE OJ Howard signs with #Texans:

Former Buffalo Bills tight end OJ Howard has a new home.

According to reports including NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Howard has landed with the Houston Texans.

Howard has reportedly chosen the Texans over the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Per Rap Sheet, the defending AFC champs had an interest in signing Howard and planned to. However, Howard went with the Texans.

The decision came down to opportunity.

The Bengals claimed tight end Devin Asiasi off the wavier wire. Upon learning that, Howard opted for Houston.

In Buffalo, Howard failed to show promise as a No. 2 playmaker at his position. Instead of him, the Bills opted for Tommy Sweeney and Quintin Morris in depth roles behind starter Dawson Knox.

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Every NFL team’s most surprising roster cut

Every NFL team’s most surprising roster cut:

With the preseason in the books, every NFL team has now trimmed their roster to the league–mandated 53 players. While these rosters will certainly undergo changes over the next couple of days, each team has their initial 53-man roster set.

But when going from 80 to 53 players, there are some tough calls NFL general managers have to make in the process. And there were certainly some shocking moves across the league during the final roster cuts, which should make for some interesting moves on the waiver wire.

We’ve rounded up our NFL Wires editors to highlight the most surprising roster cut from every NFL team:

9 recently cut or waived players the Eagles should consider adding

Nine recently cut or waived players the Philadelphia Eagles should consider adding

The Eagles trimmed their roster down to 53 players on Tuesday, and as the team builds a practice squad, GM Howie Roseman could look to add more talent and personnel.

With Philadelphia focusing on the Lions, the team will likely have a few waiver wire targets that could land on the practice squad or replace a bubble player already on the roster.

With waiver claims starting at noon, here are nine recently cut players the Eagles should consider signing.

Once released, TE O.J. Howard could interest the Browns

The highly touted former first-round pick could fill in as the team’s third tight end:

As Tuesday begins, we are in the midst of report after report of moves made by teams. A few trades and a lot of releases have already been reported with a lot more to come.

All of today’s moves become official at 4 PM this afternoon. We are tracking all moves related to the Cleveland Browns, including a few they announced on Monday, throughout the day on Tuesday.

While Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster will be dissected once it becomes official, it is unlikely to be the same 53-man roster that they will go into Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers with.

Monday we also posted our initial 53-man prediction.

Around the league, a few reported moves have caught our eye as players to pay attention. One is that the Buffalo Bills will be releasing TE O.J. Howard:

Howard was an impressive player coming out of Alabama which led him to be selected in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft. Unfortunately, injuries and inconsistency have minimized his impact early in his career. His best season came in 10 games in 2018 where he had 34 receptions for 565 yards and five touchdowns with Tampa Bay.

Looking for a fresh start, Howard signed with Buffalo this offseason but, despite many predicting he’d make the final cuts, isn’t going to stick around.

Howard showed in the preseason that he is still a threat in the redzone:

The Bills don’t use multiple tight ends often but the Browns have in the past. With just David Njoku and Harrison Bryant expected to make the team, based on reports so far, there is room for signing Howard.

According to Brad Stainbrook of The OBR, that is something the team is likely to look into:

A new lease on life in a tight end friendly system would be helpful for Howard while also joining a team where he could be used right away. Seems like the perfect fit for all parties.

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WATCH: O.J. Howard catches first touchdown with the Buffalo Bills

Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard recently signed with the Buffalo Bills after spending five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers …

Former Alabama tight end O.J. Howard began his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017 after being drafted in the first round.

After five seasons in Tampa, which included a Super Bowl win and playing alongside Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Howard signed a one-year deal in free agency with the Buffalo Bills for the upcoming 2022 season.

Howard is a large presence on the field and is an intermediate yardage threat. Buffalo already seems to be keen on using him in the red zone.

Today, the Bills took on the Denver Broncos in their second preseason game of the year and Howard flashed his athleticism when reaching for a pass that he reeled in for a seven-yard touchdown from Case Keenum.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to cover Howard and other former Alabama stars as the 2022 NFL season approaches.

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

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Buffalo Bills 2022 training camp preview: Tight end

How many TEs should the #Bills keep?

Buffalo Bills 2022 training camp kicks off on July 24. With camp just around the corner, Bills Wire will examine Buffalo’s roster position-by-position. We’ll analyze the new additions and departures to each position group, and provide a glimpse into the future for the team.

Next up is the tight end unit:

Former Alabama WR Gehrig Dieter waived by Kansas City Chiefs

The Former Alabama WR has been waived by the Chiefs.

Former Alabama wide receiver Gehrig Dieter has been waived by the Kansas City Chiefs. Dieter has been a member of the Chiefs since 2017, spending a majority of his time on the practice squad. He was a member of the Chiefs 2020 Super Bowl title, although he did not play in the game.

Dieter spent the first year of his career in Dallas with the SMU Mustangs appearing in no games. He then transferred to Bowling Green for three more seasons before eventually ending up in Tuscaloosa for the 2016 season.

Dieter teamed up with [autotag]Calvin Ridley[/autotag] and [autotag]OJ Howard[/autotag] as a member of the Alabama team that came up just short of Clemson in the national title. During his year with Alabama he posted 15 catches, 214 yards and four touchdowns.

Dieter is still only 29 years old and hopes to find another opportunity with a new team.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow former Alabama players in the NFL.

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Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!

Bills were not on O.J. Howard’s free-agent radar until something changed

#Bills were not on O.J. Howard’s free-agent radar until something changed:

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The Buffalo Bills signed OJ Howard to a one-year deal in free agency.

It was not always a match that was destined to be.

Having spent his entire career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Howard never made the impact that was expected of a first-round pick. Injuries and the depth chart ended up not helping him.

Upon becoming a free agent for the first time in his career, Howard was ready to find a situation that might allow him to turn things around. He revealed via WGR-550 radio that the Bills were not on that list at first.

“Originally, I had teams I was looking at and quite frankly, Buffalo wasn’t an option for me–It just, it didn’t really cross my mind, I didn’t think about it,” Howard said.

For years, this is the way many in Buffalo assumed free agents thought of the Bills. Come to Buffalo? Why?

Then the reality of the new-look Bills hit Howard.

“As the process went on, a lot of teams I wanted to go to weren’t really working out in my favor, then my agent was like, ‘Hey, Buffalo, look at this, they’re interested, let’s look at it on paper.'” Howard said. “When I knew what was on the roster and [Bills QB] Josh Allen at the helm, it was a no brainer.”

Upon reflecting on the 2021 season, Howard also recalled how he felt when his team faced the Bills. He was injured, but remembered thinking how relentless Allen played against Tampa Bay.

“I looked over at one of our guys and was like, ‘This dude is tough,'” Howard said. “That game right there showed me this team has toughness and grit.”

In terms of Howard’s personal chances at bouncing back in Buffalo, it remains to be seen how that unfolds.

He joins a tight end room with Dawson Knox who had a breakout year in 2021. It appears on paper that Knox will resume his role as the No. 1, but is there a reality where both Knox and Howard get on the field?

We’ll see in 2022–but Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane didn’t knock the idea earlier this offseason.

“Dawson did really well. Maybe [add] some depth there (at tight end) to compete with him,” Beane said. “There’s various ways to run an offense, whether you run two tight ends, whether you run five wide, whether you run two backs.”

All such decisions will come down to new Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. That’s who Howard needs to convince he deserves more playing time.

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O.J. Howard hopes to play ‘different roles’ with Bills

O.J. Howard hopes to play ‘different roles’ with #Bills:

The Buffalo Bills tight end room is sitting a lot prettier in one short year.

Last offseason, there were tons of question marks there, specifically regarding Dawson Knox. There was also little behind him to instill faith.

Fast forward to today and Knox has had a breakout season and he is now paired with OJ Howard at the position after he signed with Buffalo as a free agent.

There are still questions, but just of a different variety.

With all the changes regarding players and coaches with the Bills this offseason, what impact will tight ends, specifically Howard, have on the offense?

It’s early in his tenure in Buffalo, but Howard is hopeful he’ll have a chance to shine even with Knox as his teammate.

“I think it will involve me playing different roles,” Howard said via WGR-550 radio. “I think my mindset, even coming out of college, was that I’m an all-around tight end. I can get in there and block if I need to, I get open and make a catch.”

While Knox and Howard will impact each other’s roles, the third factor here is Ken Dorsey. Buffalo’s new offensive coordinator might play things a bit differently than his predecessor, Brian Daboll.

Could Dorsey utilize more two tight end sets? It’s possible.

We have yet to get any of that insight from Dorsey, however, general manager Brandon Beane might’ve given some. Earlier this offseason the GM said after Howard signed that he’s open minded about lining up with two tight ends.

“There’s various ways to run an offense, whether you run two tight ends, whether you run five wide, whether you run two backs,” Beane said. “You really just want to find different pieces, and it doesn’t have to fit exactly.”

Under Daboll the past few seasons, the Bills ran many three receiver, one tight end sets. If that continues, Howard’s production could be light, or Knox’s could go down to make room for Howard on occasion.

But there’s a world where both players have better production in one area in particular: The red zone.

Using big-bodied players near the goal line like Knox and Howard? Quarterback Josh Allen won’t mind that when he drops back for a pass inside the opponent’s 20.

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How new Bills TE O.J. Howard is getting ready for the Buffalo cold

New #Bills TE OJ Howard already started prepping for Buffalo winters this past weekend:

Buffalo Bills tight end OJ Howard is taking the weather he’ll confront in Orchard Park seriously.

Howard, who signed a one-year deal with the Bills this offseason, has spent the early years of his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to that, he played at the University of Alabama.

Not a lot of cold weather in those spots.

But speaking of the chilly temps, Howard is prepping for the 2022 season with the Bills already.

Taking to his social media account via Instagram, Howard posted a photo shirtless in snowy terrain out in Colorado from this past weekend. His caption read “let’s get acclimated” and Howard added a Bills Mafia reference.

Check out the post below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CboPa9FNPT0/

While Howard is going to be new to Buffalo weather when it gets freezing out, Bills Mafia and Orchard Park is something he has experienced.

In 2017, Howard had six catches on six targets for 98 yards and two touchdowns on the road against Buffalo. Despite that, the Bills did still win, 30-27, but Howard got his taste of the area.

An important weather note, while the contest was in Week 7, it was actually a nice day outside. The photo above shows Howard celebrating one of his scores and he looks pretty warm that day.

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