Tampa Bay Buccaneers: O.J. Howard's role becoming clearer

Rookie tight end O.J. Howard has begun to cement his role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are strong at many positions in terms of depth, and the tight end position is no exception. Between Cameron Brate, who proved to be a dependable starter in 2016 and rookie O.J. Howard, the Bucs have a dynamic duo at the position.

In particular, Howard’s role in the offense, which was once unclear, is finally beginning to come into focus.

On the surface, many fans already knew of the latter’s capabilities, with Howard shining on the national stage in a big way for Nick Saban and the University of Alabama. The question that many had heading into this preseason was how would Howard be able to fit into the offense? Sander Philipse said this about the tight end position when breaking down the Tampa Bay depth chart on Monday via Bucs Nation:

"I’ve said this before, but while both Brate and Howard are tight ends, they’re not really competing with each other. That’s reinforced in this depth chart, which has two spots for tight ends: one with smaller move tight ends like Brate, and one with bigger tight ends like Howard who can be a force as blockers.Mostly, this means that if Brate and Howard both do well, we’ll see both of them on the field at the same time a lot. If one of them falters, then they may be taken off the field to be replaced by someone at another position group—say, Adam Humphries coming in as a receiver to replace Brate, or a sixth lineman instead of Howard on running plays."

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First, Howard’s role in the offense is dependent upon how well he does. That makes sense, especially considering he is only a rookie. If he performs up to the standards of the coaching staff, he will see a good amount of playing time. While he is on the field, I would try to take advantage of the running game. Howard has the ability to be able to drive defenders back and be an imposing figure at the line of scrimmage.

As a result of running the ball more with Howard on the field, this could open up the offense. Possibilities such as play-action passes will be able to keep the defense on their toes. They will already have to worry about Doug Martin, who at this moment is penciled in as the starting running back on the team’s latest depth chart. This will give Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson more time to run their routes and gain separation, an opposing defense’s worst nightmare.

There may be situations where Howard struggles throughout the course of a game. He is a rookie after all. The good news is, it appears as though the Buccaneers have enough depth to be able to take him off the field if needed. This is ideal as for instance, he can spend time going over plays with the coaching staff in real time throught the course of the game. He may just need a breather at some point during a game. Whatever the case may be, it sounds as if the team can gradually ease him into live NFL action when needed.

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It will be interesting to see if Howard’s role will change during the preseason. He has not faced live competition yet, and that will be a good measuring stick. He is bound to make mistakes, but the upside and potential are very high. It is becoming clearer that he will be an asset to the Buccaneers, one that could take the team to the next level.

Now, it is only a matter of time before he makes his presence known in the NFL.

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers: O.J. Howard’s role becoming clearer

By Danny Jaillet | Aug 9, 2017

Rookie tight end O.J. Howard has begun to cement his role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense.