Former Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end OJ Howard has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders.
𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘: #Raiders are signing former #Bucs 1st round pick TE OJ Howard, per @VinnyBonsignore pic.twitter.com/aN4ZLphGLd
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 20, 2023
Howard, a 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end, joins the Raiders after one season with the Houston Texans. Originally a first-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the 2017 NFL Draft, Howard spent five seasons with the club. He has appeared in 74 career games with 60 starts, totaling 129 receptions for 1,882 yards with 17 touchdowns.
Howard played in Tampa Bay through the 2021 season. He then spent time on the Buffalo Bills but was released before the start of the 2022 regular season. He then signed with the Houston Texans. Last season, he appeared in 13 games with the Houston Texans where he reeled in 10 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Now Howard goes to the Las Vegas Raiders where they have a new quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo. Garoppolo does tend to target the tight end often as he had George Kittle to throw to back in San Francisco. Before his slew of injures Howard had that upside of being one of the better tight ends in the NFL.
Howard is not what he once was since being drafted, but he has shown flashes especially this last year with the Texans. He will now be slotted in as the presumably starting tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders. They traded tight end Darren Waller just last week and backup Foster Moreau is a free agent. It remains to be seen if they do end up re-signing Moreau.
The Las Vegas Raiders are not seen as favorites to win the AFC West according to Nevada sportsbooks. The Raiders are making interesting moves this offseason. Time will tell if those moves will work out in the end.
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