Buccaneers Week Three Stock Report

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TAMPA, FL – SEPTEMBER 24: O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers run the ball in the fourth quarter in a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 24, 2018 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Stock Up

O.J. Howard

When the Buccaneers selected O.J. Howard with the 19th pick in the 2017 draft, it almost seemed too good to be true. Howard had been locked in as a top-15 pick for the entire draft process, and he slipped past several tight end needy teams.

At 6’6, 240 lbs with blazing fast speed and a ton of experience blocking, Howard was the most ideal tight end prospect this side of Rob Gronkowski. As is usually the case with rookie tight ends, Howard started off a bit slow and split reps evenly with Cameron Brate for most of last year.

Howard still managed to score six touchdowns, which safely put his rookie season stock on the up-curve. 2018 has seen that stock continue to climb.

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Howard has managed to make a big play in each of the first three games this season, and his last two games have been especially productive. Against the Eagles, he caught three passes for 96 yards and a 75-yard touchdown, and most recently against the Steelers he set a career high for receptions with six for 72 yards.

Howard is out-snapping Cam Brate by a good margin and looks a lot more confident this year as a pass catcher. Teams simply don’t have a good defensive answer for Howard’s size and speed, particularly with all the other weapons on the offense that need contending with.

Expect to see Howard’s stock continue to climb as the season goes on, particularly with Jameis Winston’s eventual return; the maligned Buccaneer quarterback throws to tight ends as often as any quarterback in the league.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Did anyone else feel strange watching a Buccaneers defensive end play well on prime time television?

It’s been quite a while and I wasn’t sure quite how to react as Pierre-Paul bulled through Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva over and over. Some worried after the big trade whether the 29-year-old had lost a step, but Pierre-Paul has done nothing but prove those concerns wrong since training camp. He’s earned rave reviews from all the coaches for both his skill and leadership, and Monday night’s game is evidence that he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

Pierre-Paul finished the game with five tackles, a forced fumble, and a season high two sacks, along with his trademarked ability to win against the run. He now has three sacks on the season which leads the team – both this year and last year. We can safely assume that Pierre-Paul will break the fabled ten sack curse for the Buccaneers, and his impact should be fully felt against weaker offensive lines – the Bucs have been stuck playing three of the very best lines in all of football for their first three games.

Pierre-Paul’s stock is lock-safe and soaring by the week.

Chandler Catanzaro

I have to admit, I’ve probably been too tough on Chandler Catanzaro this season. Call it kicker-PTSD.

Catanzaro has missed one field goal and one extra point in three games this year, and while you’d like to see 100 percent of his kicks sail through the uprights, those numbers are solid enough.

Against the Steelers the 27-year-old kicker was perfect from the field, making two field goals, one from 21 yards and the other from 28, and sunk all three of his extra points.

I’m still reasonably dubious about Catanzaro’s accuracy from range, but we’ve got to take what we can get. He’s accurate within 40 yards, and with the Buccaneers being more aggressive on offense this year it stands to reason that they won’t need to attempt many distance kicks. If Catanzaro can hit all his extra points and remain reliable where he’s supposed to, the Bucs should be able to get by this year before looking for a bigger leg this off-season.

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