In the 2017 NFL Draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected TE O.J. Howard with the 19th overall pick. He played five seasons in Tampa Bay and spent last year with the Houston Texans. Howard had 10 catches for 145 receiving yards and two touchdowns last season with Houston.
This past March, Howard was signed by the Raiders after Las Vegas traded TE Darren Waller to the New York Giants. Today, Vincent Bonsignore reported that the Raiders have released O.J. Howard. The 28-year-old was heading into his 7th NFL season. As an experienced TE, chances are that he’ll get another shot to play at some point this season, but not for the Raiders.
Veteran TE O.J. Howard has been released by the Las Vegas Raiders
BREAKING: #Raiders are releasing veteran tight end OJ Howard, per @VinnyBonsignore
Solid veteran TE now becomes available pic.twitter.com/SXZgmVShBd
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) August 1, 2023
Over his first three years in the NFL, O.J. Howard was a solid TE for the Buccaneers. In his first two seasons, he combined for 11 touchdowns. Howard has six touchdowns over his last four seasons. In 2020 the Bucs signed TE Rob Gronkowski and Howard’s role immediately shrunk. The year before Gronk came to the Bucs, he had 34 receptions for 459 yards.
In his last three seasons, two with Tampa Bay and one with Houston, Howard only has 426 receiving yards combined. Lower than any total he put up in his first three seasons. Without Howard on the roster anymore, the Raiders will turn to Austin Hooper, Jesper Horsted, and rookie Michael Meyer for their production in 2023.
REPORT: @Raiders have released TE OJ Howard pic.twitter.com/ejiUI5OxEf
— The Fantasy Source (@FantasySource_) August 1, 2023
Austin Hooper has the most NFL experience of the three TEs left on Las Vegas’ roster. He was signed by the Raiders in March after playing for the Tennessee Titans last season. His most productive NFL season so far was in 2019 with the Atlanta Falcons when he had 75 receptions for 787 yards and 6 touchdowns. Hooper should see a lot of the workload for the Raiders this season.
There’s also rookie TE Michael Meyer who was an electric player at Notre Dame. He was a second-round pick by the Raiders and will be an interesting player to watch in 2023. With O.J. Howard off the roster, for Las Vegas will have a new-look TE room this season. Darren Waller and Foster Moreau are no longer on the roster. There’s also a new QB under center for the Raiders this season in Jimmy Garaoppolo.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
