Chicago Bears: 5 tight ends to replace Trey Burton
By Ryan Heckman
1. O.J. Howard, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It is fairly well-known by now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking to deal O.J. Howard, a former first-round pick out of Alabama. His three years in the league, Howard just hasn’t been utilized as much as one would have thought.
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But, make no mistake, he is a phenomenal talent. Howard is more of a bigger receiver than anything, standing 6-foot-6. He is a heck of an athlete and possesses breakaway speed that hardly any other guys have at his position.
For the Bucs, I assume they want to move forward with Cameron Brate, who they currently have on a multi-year extension. Not having to pay Howard top dollar after his rookie contract makes sense, so getting what they can for his services is logical.
The Bears would probably have to cough up one of their second-round picks this year, though, and that’s a steep price to pay. However, it fills a need in a big way and could truly change the face of the offense as a whole.
In his three seasons as a pro, Howard has caught 94 passes for 1,456 yards and 12 touchdowns. He has averaged 15.5 yards per reception, proving he’s a big play waiting to happen on any occasion.