Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Tight ends Washington could consider trading for before 2020 NFL season

By Jacob Camenker

TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 21: David Njoku #85 of the Cleveland Browns catches a pass during pregame before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, 2018 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL - OCTOBER 21: David Njoku #85 of the Cleveland Browns catches a pass during pregame before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21, 2018 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.(Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 06: O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action during a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on October 06, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – OCTOBER 06: O.J. Howard #80 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in action during a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on October 06, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

3. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In terms of talent, O.J. Howard probably tops this list. The former first-round pick by the Buccaneers is an excellent athlete and had a productive first two seasons in the league.

Howard combined for 60 catches, 997 yards, and 11 touchdowns in his first 24 games played. It looked like he was becoming one of the best, young pass catchers at the tight end position and he was expected to have a big 2019 campaign.

However, that didn’t quite materialize. Playing in his first year under Bruce Arians, Howard posted solid numbers — 34 catches for 459 yards and a touchdown — but he didn’t take the next step that many hoped he would. He ended up with two fewer targets than Cameron Brate despite playing 351 more snaps than the Harvard product.

More from Commanders News

In 2020, Howard’s role with Tampa Bay is even less clear. The team traded for Rob Gronkowski during the offseason and the recently unretired future Hall of Famer figures to be the top option on the depth chart — if he can stay healthy — given his strong rapport with Tom Brady.

Meanwhile, Brate is still around to siphon some targets at the position from Howard. And elsewhere, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are one of the best receiving duos in the NFL, and the team has several young players that could emerge and give the team a trio of weapons there (Tyler Johnson and Scott Miller stand out).

In short, targets may be hard for Howard to come by, especially since Arians’ offense isn’t exactly known for being tight end friendly.

Because of that, could Tampa Bay consider trading Howard? Sure. His name has been on the trade block for almost a year. But the Bucs aren’t going to give him up for nothing. He’s still on a cost-controlled rookie deal for two years (including his fifth-year option) and Tampa Bay wants to surround Brady with as many weapons as possible as he looks to deliver them a Super Bowl title.

To get Howard, a team will probably have to give up a Day 2 draft pick to get his services. And even that might not get the job done. While imagining Howard in Washington is fun in theory, it’s not likely to happen in practice.

But if things change in Tampa Bay and Howard falls to No. 3 on the depth chart, perhaps Washington will make a bid for him. As such, he should be considered a potential trade target, and a good one at that. It’s just not a very realistic one.

Home/Commanders News