Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Potential trades for this offseason
By Rob Leeds
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been mostly quiet for the last few offseason in relation to trades but this year may provide some unique trade opportunities.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking primed to compete in 2020 assuming they can figure out the quarterback situation as soon as possible. While the Bucs are looking set for the draft, there are several trades that the Buccaneers can make to better their future.
O.J. Howard, TE
The first and most obvious trade for the Buccaneers to make would be to move on from O.J. Howard. Howard will likely not live up to his potential in a Bruce Arians offense and the Bucs could get decent compensation for trading him.
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This move becomes a questionable one as Howard is physically gifted, but he was mostly used in 2019 as a blocker and seems to be regressing as a receiver.
The Buccaneer’s best bet would be to trade Howard, get decent compensation in the form of draft capital, and bring in a tight end that will better fit the new offensive system.
The 2020 Draft class is filled with capable tight ends and the Buccaneers would struggle little to find a capable replacement for Howard. Most projections have Thaddeus Moss as a third-round pick and if the Bucs can move on from Howard for a second they would come out ahead.
This move may seem premature as Howard had an excellent 2018 season but as of now, Howard is a risk. The Buccaneers are very close to finding success and they have to avoid risks, especially if they can trade them away for decent compensation.
On top of struggling to shine as a blocker, O.J. Howard failed to impress with the limited touches that he received throughout the season.
Howard’s yards per reception dropped from 16.6 in his first two seasons down to 13.5 yards per reception in 2019. O.J. Howard receives far fewer targets than the other top tight ends in the NFL and his impressive efficiency was one of the few things that kept him near the top.
If 2019 was any indication, the Buccaneers should be willing to move on from Howard as he would be a better fit in a different system. There also should be a decent market for O.J. Howard across the NFL as he would likely shine in a system that gave him more targets.
If the Buccaneers can move on from Howard while also getting a first or second-round pick this would likely be a very beneficial trade for both sides.