Tag: OJ Howard

4 things to know about new Jets WR Breshad Perriman

Get to know Gang Green’s newest free agent acquisition, wide receiver Breshad Perriman.

It didn’t take long for Joe Douglas to act after losing Robby Anderson.

The Jets came to terms with former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Breshad Perriman on Tuesday. The one-year, $8 million deal with $6 million in guaranteed money came together hours after Anderson signed with the Carolina Panthers.

A former first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens’ in 2015, Perriman bounced around the league before finding a home in Tampa Bay last season. His strong second half of the year was enough for Douglas and New York to feel confident in inking Perriman to replace Anderson.

So, what should Jets fans know about their newest free agent acquisition? Let’s get familiar with Perriman and what he brings to the table.

Limited opportunity, big-time production

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Targets were hard to come by for Perriman in Tampa Bay last season. With Jameis Winston looking at Mike Evans and Chris Godwin more often than not, as well as O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate factoring into Bruce Arians’ passing attack, Perriman signed with the Buccaneers knowing it would be tough for him to carve out a stake in the offense.

That did not prevent him from achieving that feat, though.

Despite being targeted only 56 percent of the time, Perriman registered career-highs in receptions (36), receiving yards (645) and touchdowns (6). He ended the season on a tear, catching 25 passes for 506 yards in Tampa Bay’s final five games.

Say what you want about Perriman’s lack of production in the first half of the season, but that’s one heck of a way to leave your stamp on an offense.

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Buccaneers restructure Cameron Brate’s contract

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate was due to make $6 million in 2020, with $4 million of that due today, unless the Buccaneers chose to trade or cut him from their roster. The Buccaneers opted to restructure Brate’s contract – as reported …

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cameron Brate was due to make $6 million in 2020, with $4 million of that due today, unless the Buccaneers chose to trade or cut him from their roster. The Buccaneers opted to restructure Brate’s contract — as reported by Greg Auman — to keep in him Tampa for at least the next season, knowing that Tom Brady likes having tight end targets.

Brate was drafted in 2014 and burst onto the scene for the Buccaneers in 2016 with his 57 catches and eight touchdowns. When the Buccaneers drafted O.J. Howard in 2017, his superior athleticism pegged him as the future in the tight end role. This resulted in a drop of Brate’s production; however, with 16 touchdowns during that span he’s still a red zone threat. Brate has also proven to be more reliable than Howard in terms of staying healthy, playing in all 16 games every season since 2017- Howard has played in 38 of 48 games in his career.

As of now, the details of the restructuring are unknown- we will update when more information is available.

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Bill Barnwell gives Brady to the Bucs ‘a rare A’

See why Bill Barnwell of ESPN handed out a rare ‘A’ when grading Tom Brady’s expected decision to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The NFL world is still reacting to the news that Tom Brady is expected to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The six-time Super Bowl champion announced on Instagram yesterday that he was leaving the New England Patriots after a historic 20-year run. Speculation was that Brady would wind up in either Los Angeles with the Chargers or Tampa Bay with the Bucs. In the end, Tampa Bay had more to offer.

Now that Brady will be teaming up with two-time NFL Coach of the Year Bruce Arians, along with one of the league’s best offenses that features playmakers like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and, yes, O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay has gone from dark horse playoff contender to dark horse Super Bowl contender.

The move has drawn the praise of many sportswriters, including Bill Barnwell of ESPN. The often stingy grader of NFL moves was so impressed by this one, that in his breakdown of the Brady-to-Tampa news, he handed out a “rare A.” Barnwell broke down the move at length, and in the end, summed it up best with this:

“Of the quarterbacks who were available to the Buccaneers, Brady had the highest short-term floor and ceiling. For whatever off-field benefits Brady will offer the Bucs, no free-agent signing is going to move his team closer to a Super Bowl than Brady with the Bucs. Even if it fails miserably, this team had a chance to sign the greatest quarterback of all time to fill an enormous position of need on its roster.”

There’s no question the NFC South will become the must-watch division next year. If the NFL is smart, they should just book every Brady divisional game on prime-time right now.

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Why you should ‘proceed with caution’ with O.J. Howard in fantasy football in 2020

See why Jenna Laine of ESPN believes fantasy football owners should be cautious when it comes to drafting Bucs TE O.J. Howard in 2020.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard didn’t have the breakout third season many fans, and fantasy owners, were hoping for. The former Alabama star and 2017 first-round pick struggled to find a niche in Bruce Arians’ new offense, even finding himself in the coach’s doghouse early in the season.

It remains to be seen whether Tampa Bay keeps Howard on the roster this offseason, but you have to imagine they’ll give him at least one more season to prove himself. After all, you don’t find tight ends with his size and strength just waiting on the sideline.

While keeping him is a decision the Bucs organization is going to have to make on their own, fantasy football owners will have to decide how to approach drafting or picking up Howard in 2020. As Jenna Laine of ESPN explains, they should be cautious.

Per Laine:

“It’s baffling what happened with Howard. He looked so solid in camp but he made some inexplicable mistakes last season. Based on conversations with him, it was a combination of a new role in a new offense, some early mistakes, the trade talk and a new staff trying to figure him out in a system not known to be tight-end-friendly. Proceed with caution.”

Howard may have struggled statistically last season, but he found a way to be an effective blocker. The Bucs just need to find a way to utilize his skill-set better. If they can, Howard could be a steal in fantasy if someone decides to take a chance on him early.

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Which Buccaneers player could use a fresh start this offseason?

Find out which Tampa Bay Buccaneers player ESPN thinks could benefit most from a change of scenery this offseason.

This is going to be one of the most important offseasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in recent memory. With a number of free agents ready to hit the open market, the Bucs will need to determine which players are priority to keep and which can be shown the door.

For some players, a change of scenery might do them some good, and in ESPN’s latest look at 32 players who could use a fresh start this offseason, it’s no surprise that Tampa Bay tight end O.J. Howard found himself on the list.

Per Jenna Laine:

“He struggled throughout his first season in Bruce Arians’ offense, which has been notorious for not getting the tight end involved vertically as much as Dirk Koetter’s did. The Bucs did entertain offers for Howard before the trade deadline. Going to an offense that utilizes him differently might be what he needs to rejuvenate his career.”

One team that reportedly inquired about Howard around the time of the trade deadline was the New England Patriots, who were desperately trying to find a tight end replacement for Rob Gronkowski. The Bucs told New England “no” and kept Howard on the roster.

While Howard did not have a great year statistically, he did do well in the blocking game. Perhaps Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich can find a way to utilize Howard more in the passing attack. He’s a rare combination of size and athleticism. It might be worth keeping Howard around for one more year at least.

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This O.J. Howard stat proves he was an effective tight end this year

Despite not putting up big numbers, Bucs tight end O.J. Howard was still effective this year.

I realize the title of this post may seem sarcastic to some, and they wouldn’t be wrong to have that initial thought. After all, O.J. Howard was supposed to have a breakout year in his third season, much like the one was saw Chris Godwin have.

Unfortunately, Howard struggled to find a niche in Bruce Arians’ offense, at least when it comes to personal statistics. Howard had just 34 receptions for 459 yards and one touchdown. His best catch of the year didn’t even come during an NFL game, but rather an MLB game. Howard even found himself in Arians’ doghouse early in the season for his lackluster play.

But, according to ESPN, Howard did a great job in one particular area this year. In their 2019 advanced statistics awards, ESPN said that according to the stats, Howard was the league’s best pass-blocking tight end.

“Bucs coach Bruce Arians never relied on Howard all that much as a receiver this season. But the young tight end did play a role in the passing game with a 98% PBWR (pass block win rate).”

That’s a big accomplishment for sure, but I’m sure Howard wishes he could have been used more as a pass catcher than a blocker. Still, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider Arians said this about his tight ends with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2015:

“We pay Larry (Fitzgerald) and those guys too much money to throw it to the tight ends. They’re here to block.”

Looks like Howard did well in that regard at least.

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8 fantasy football waiver wire claims to make ahead of Week 15

Fantasy Football: Adds, waivers, wavier wire for Week 15.

Need a fresh face for your fantasy football roster this week even if it’s the postseason?

It’s never too late for a few extra points to continue to add to your win column. Don’t stop searching for pieces now.

Here are eight waiver wire claims to make in fantasy football ahead of Week 15:

Ryan Tannehill #17 of the Tennessee Titans. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

QB Ryan Tannehill

Folks still aren’t picking up Ryan Tannehill, but that’s fine, we’ll keep adding him here. The Titans’ new starter, and probably going forward to next season too, had another multi-touchdown outing last week against the Raiders with three. That’s four games in a row with multiple sores. He did have an interception, but it was his first one since Week 9. This week he has the Texans, who were upset and lit up by Broncos rookie quarterback Drew Lock last week.

Percent owned in ESPN fantasy leagues: 40.1%

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A look at O.J. Howard’s route trees in Bruce Arians’ offense vs. Dirk Koetter’s

Take a look at the route trees of Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard in his last two offensive systems.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard has had a rough go of things this season, his first year playing under head coach Bruce Arians.

Howard, who was put on blast by Arians earlier this year for his poor play, caused an interception in last week’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, juggling the ball against his body and behind his back before it was eventually picked off. For the season, the third-year tight end out of Alabama has just 17 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown.

So, what’s been the issue?

Well, looking at Howard’s route trees in Arians’ offense compared to former coach and current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter’s, it’s clear the two systems are utilizing the tight end very differently.

Take a look.

Arians had this to say about the tight ends of the Arizona Cardinals back in 2015, when he was the team’s head coach: “We pay Larry (Fitzgerald) and those guys too much money to throw it to the tight ends. They’re here to block.”

You would’ve hoped that Arians and Byron Leftwich would’ve seen the potential in Howard and utilized him more in the offense as a pass catcher.

It’ll be interesting to see how the team proceeds with Howard at the end of the season. Remember, the New England Patriots inquired about Howard last month before the trade deadline, but were told no by Tampa Bay.

Maybe they’ll change their tune in the offseason.

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Twitter goes insane over O.J. Howard’s crazy turnover against the Saints

Well, you can’t blame this interception on Jameis Winston.

Well, you can’t blame this interception on Jameis Winston.

The much-maligned Buccaneers quarterback who entered today’s game against the New Orleans Saints having thrown 14 interceptions on the year collected his 15th in the first quarter, through no fault of his own, however.

Take a look at this insane play, where Winston hits tight end O.J. Howard who fumbles the ball on his body only to have it intercepted by New Orleans.

New Orleans would score on the very next play with Drew Brees hitting wide receiver Michael Thomas for a 16-yard touchdown that put the Saints up 13-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Suffice it to say, Twitter went crazy over Howard’s careless turnover. Take a look at what they had to say.

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Bruce Arians liked what he saw from TE O.J. Howard on Sunday

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians talked about tight end O.J. Howard and Sunday’s big win over the Arizona Cardinals.

It seems a little home cooking was just what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to get back on the winning track.

After playing away from Raymond James Stadium since Week 3, the Bucs returned home in Week 10 and halted their four-game skid by taking down the Arizona Cardinals, 30-27.

While quarterback Jameis Winston had two more interceptions, he did have one touchdown pass — to tight end O.J. Howard of all people.

For Howard, who missed the previous two games with a hamstring injury, it was his first touchdown of the season. Hopefully, Sunday’s performance (four receptions for 47 yards and the score) is a sign of things to come in the second half of the season.

Head coach Bruce Arians, who put Howard on blast earlier this season for his poor play, talked today about Howard’s performance on Sunday.

Take a look.

The Bucs will play at home again in Week 11 when the New Orleans Saints come to visit.

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