Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Three reasons to trade O.J. Howard

Howard’s history of injuries

At 6 feet 6 inches and 251 pounds, Howard is a freak of nature for a tight end given his speed and athleticism for his size. He has shown flashes of brilliance when healthy, and we’ve seen Brady make tight ends better by maximizing their skillsets for the better part of two decades, even those with broken bodies like Gronkowski. Howard could also fall in that category. The keywords here are “when healthy”.

To pretty much sum it up, Howard’s best game in 2020 with Brady came in the game he tore his Achilles against the Los Angeles Chargers where he had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown before his injury. That is Howard’s NFL career thus far in a nutshell. He’s solid when he is actually on the field, which is few and far between.

The best ability is availability. Unfortunately for Howard, he has only played in 42 games since entering the league in 2017 and has never played a full season. In 2020, Howard played in only four games, by far the lowest of his career. In that span, he has recorded over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns in the four seasons he’s been in Tampa, so the potential is still there. It’d be wise for the Bucs to strike while the iron is hot, or at least room temperature. Especially when you consider this last reason.