Buccaneers: O.J. Howard looks like he belongs

It’s still early into Buccaneers training camp, but thus far the returns from rookie O.J. Howard have been positive for the most part.

Making heads or tails out of training camp reports is always dangerous business, and an invitation to be let down. With that said, you don’t want to outright dismiss positive reports, especially from players that you expect them from. Through just a few days of Buccaneers practice, rookie tight end O.J. Howard has managed to make several highlight worthy plays as a pass catcher, and has shown out as a blocker as well. Aside from some scattered drops, we’ve received almost nothing but glowing reports from media members, coaches and players in regards to Howard.

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Howard’s first major highlight of camp came with him lined up in the slot, matched up with safety J.J. Wilcox, another newcomer to the Buccaneers. Back-up quarterback Ryan Griffin delivered an on-target throw that narrowly missed the reach of Wilcox, before bouncing off Howard’s hands up into the air, and finally landing safely in the clutch of Howard’s left arm. It was a play that showed off Howard’s athleticism, as well as his ability to adjust to contested catch – though it could also be argued he should have reeled the pass in when it initially hit his mitts.

On that play we saw Howard run a routine seam route, something even the most ordinary of tight ends should have in their repertoire, and something we’ll see plenty of this season between he and fellow tight end Cameron Brate. However, you don’t draft a tight end at nineteenth overall without having bigger plans than simple seam routes, and Howard has shown he’s capable of much more. On Wednesday, Howard flashed his ability as a traditional receiver, when he lined up against cornerback Brent Grimes and dusted him with a smooth double move. Howard even earned a tip of the hat from Grimes after the play.

Howard’s success on seam routes and traditional wide receiver routes was well documented at Alabama, so it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise that the Buccaneers are seeing him thrive there early on. The size, speed and polish of Howard have always guaranteed that he’d find a niche in the league as a receiver, but arguably his most valuable trait comes as a blocker. With so many weapons in Jameis Winton’s array, Howard is going to be asked early and often to stay in-line and act as a sixth offensive lineman. Just as he’s shown off his ability as a pass catcher, Howard has also showed up as a blocker.

It’s not just Spence that Howard has reportedly been having success against. According to Bucs running back Jacquizz Rodgers by way of JoeBucsFan, Howard has been “beasting everybody” in one-on-ones.

It’s my guess that against elite defenses like Minnesota, New England, Arizona and New York, the Bucs will deploy Howard primarily in a blocking role while allowing Brate to operate as Winston’s pass catching security blanket. The Bucs have been trying for years to properly get two tight ends on to the field as a means of improving protection and diversifying their attack, even resorting to jumbo sets with an actual offensive lineman lining up as a tight end. Now, with Howard and Brate together, the Bucs can help out their big, slow offensive tackles when they’re faced with elite pass rushers.

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As we discussed earlier, it’s unwise to make too much out of plays from training camp, especially in the early goings. We’ll continue to closely monitor how consistent Howard remains throughout camp, but thus far it’s positive to see him excelling in the slot, out wide, and as a blocker, three different roles that he’ll find himself in when the season kicks off in Miami.