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O.J. Howard trade rumors: 5 Teams that should deal with Buccaneers

By Dan Ambrosino

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 18: Tight end O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on November 18, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The New York Giants won 38-35. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - NOVEMBER 18: Tight end O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers carries the ball against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on November 18, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The New York Giants won 38-35. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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O.J. Howard, NFL Trade Rumors, Chicago Bears (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
O.J. Howard, NFL Trade Rumors, Chicago Bears (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

1. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have been valuing quantity over quality lately when it comes to the tight end position. The Bears currently have a whopping 11 tight ends on their roster at the moment, and none of them would be regarded as above-average by any NFL pundit.

Jimmy Graham and Trey Burton currently headline the group, but both appear to be past their prime. Graham is entering his tenth NFL season and put up an uninspiring 38 catches for 447 yards and three touchdowns last year; given he was Aaron Rodgers’ second-best receiving weapon, that performance is quite poor. Burton is coming off an injury-riddled campaign, where he only caught 14 passes for 84 yards in eight games in 2019.

Ever since Matt Nagy arrived in Chicago, he has been looking for a player to fill the role Travis Kelce expertly filled in Kansas City. Nagy likes to utilize multiple exotic formations where the tight end can take shovel passes, stretch the field, and even run the wildcat. Howard should check all of those boxes, as he is ranked above the 97th percentile in 40-yard dash time, speed score, and agility.

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Seeing as how Nick Foles heavily relied on Zach Ertz in Philadelphia and Mitch Trubisky’s best plays came when he threw to the 6-2 Allen Robinson, the Bears would be wise to secure a big, athletic target for whichever quarterback wins the starting job. Howard would finally give Chicago a reliable weapon at tight end that they haven’t had since Martellus Bennett caught 90 passes for 916 yards in 2014.

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