Buccaneers that could play some reps out of position in 2020

O.J. Howard– wide receiver

Tampa Bay is in a league of its own with their talent at tight end. The Bucs have three players that would be starters on almost any team in the league that uses 12 personnel sets, and their backups hold up well too.

Bruce Arians loves to use tight ends as blockers, but Tom Brady likes to throw to players of that skill set, meaning that the one clear thing is that tight ends will be featured heavily by the Bucs this season.

In an effort to get the most use out of the players on the roster, the Bucs could see some of their tight ends used more like wide receivers (in the X and Z roles) rather than the Y role that tight ends usually play.

Using Howard in this role specifically would give the Buccaneers an immediate advantage. Howard possesses the speed of a receiver but has a size advantage that no corner in the league can keep up with. Howard could abuse these mismatches and quickly become one of Brady’s favorite targets if the Bucs keep Cameron Brate, Rob Gronkowski, or Antony Auclair on the line.

BA may love to use Howard as a blocker first, but it would be a waste to keep him in that role alone. Howard is one of the most efficient tight ends in the NFL, and he could easily be a dominant receiver that keeps defensive coordinators up at night if the Bucs use him in the right way.