Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard is in the top ten in jersey sales among NFL rookies.
Buccaneers fans were jumping for joy when O.J. Howard fell into their laps during the draft. It’s not hard to understand why. Many had him going in the top ten, leaving him long gone before the Bucs would ever have the chance to take him. Combine that with the fact that he was widely considered the best tight end in the draft and the reason for excitement is clear. Combining Howard with Cameron Brate has lethal potential.
So how do we continue to show that love during the offseason? There are no games to watch yet, so we can’t give Howard our cheers. Open practices haven’t started, although they will very soon. What are fans to do? We buy jerseys, that’s what we do. There are few better ways to profess your love for a particular player on your team than by wearing his number. We all do it, because we love it that much.
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How many of you have picked up your O.J. Howard jerseys? If you have, I imagine that many of you have done so at Dick’s Sporting Goods. The nationwide chain recently released it’s jersey sales report, telling us the top sellers from around the NFL. So far, O.J. is ranked ninth among NFL rookies.
That sandwiches him right in between Takkarist McKinley of the rival Falcons and Taco Charlton of the Dallas Cowboys.
Overalll, Howard’s jersey sales rank him third on the Bucs. Some guy named Jameis Winston leads the team, ranked 39th overall in the NFL and Mike Evans is second, ranked 103th overall.
Part of what holds our guys back in the rankings, unfortunately, is the size of the market. Let’s face it, as passionate as Bucs fans are, and you are passionate, the market in Tampa Bay is not the largest in the NFL. That’s not a judgment, it’s just a statement. When there are more fans in the market, more jerseys will be sold. The top of the list for rookies includes two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The teams ahead of Howard in the rookie jersey sales include the Steelers, the Texans, the Bears, the Browns, the Jaguars, the Jets and the Falcons. Yes, gang, unfortunately the Falcons are a bigger market than we are. For the most part, that defines the top of this list. It says more to me that Howard is third on the team overall.
Think about it, he hasn’t taken a snap yet, and he already has sold more jerseys this year than guys like Kwon Alexander and Gerald McCoy. Now that shows how excited everyone is about Howard’s arrival.
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Tell me fans, who is your Bucs jersey? Who do you wear to sport your pewter pride? Let us know in the comments below…