Buccaneers: O.J. Howard turning the head of Jameis Winston already
Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard is already impressing people, especially his leader under center.
The Buccaneers enter 2017 with a plethora of riches on offense. We know they were already stacked with the likes of Mike Evans and Cameron Brate. Jason Licht didn’t stop there, signing DeSean Jackson as the marquis signing of the offseason. It’s safe to say that Jameis Winston has good reason to be excited. Even with a portion of a running game, this offense is going to be DEADLY.
To fans and the team’s delight, O.J. Howard fell into their lap in the draft so they snatched him up. He entered the league known for his all-around skill set, from being able to make a big play down the seam to selling out as a blocker. Bucs fans were dancing in the streets of Florida when Howard’s name was announced.
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Now, they have actually gotten to see Howard on the football field, and the excitement hasn’t stopped. The main beneficiary of the weapons, quarterback Jameis Winston, is pumped to have O.J.:
"“We’re happy to have O.J. What he’s going to do to that team is going to be amazing,” Winston told reporters Saturday. “This is the fastest, most athletic 6-6, 255 guy I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s unreal.”"
Don’t get me wrong, Desean Jackson has him all ready to go along with Howard:
"“They’re dynamic,” Winston told NFL Network’s Tiffany Blackmon at his 2nd Annual Dream Forever Football Camp on Saturday. “We haven’t had a true deep threat guy in Tampa Bay and now we have DeSean. So we’re excited to throw him a couple bombs. O.J., man, he’s just a specimen. We’re privileged to have O.J. Howard.”"
There is great potential for Winston to have a lot of fun this season. Adding these two guys will allow the Bucs to stretch the field, let Mike Evans see more single coverage than ever and give Cameron Brate room to get even better. Frankly, that is a scary prospect.
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We do have to keep it in check, for now. Training camp opens up on July 28th. Let’s see how everybody looks when the pads come on, but all signs are pointing upwards.