Bama in the NFL: O.J. Howard Adds Depth to Elite Bills Offense

The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end is ready for a fresh start in Buffalo as the Bills hope to make a Super Bowl run.

The Buffalo Bills are one of the teams destined for greatness in the 2020s. 

With a young offense led by 26-year-old quarterback Josh Allen and a star-studded defense with pro bowlers all over the field, the Bills are the favorites to win Super Bowl LVII.

They lost 42-36 in the historic AFC divisional round game against the Chiefs. This thriller won the ESPY’s “Best Game” Award among all sports in 2021-22 on Wednesday night -- beating the four-overtime Iron Bowl win for Alabama. 

On March 16, the Bills signed tight end O.J. Howard to a one-year, $3.5 million deal worth up to $5 million.

The former Crimson Tide standout was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. The 27-year-old tight end has played each of his first five seasons in Tampa Bay.

When healthy, Howard played the tight end position exactly how it should be played: he got open easily and blocked well. However, Howard’s first fully-healthy season wasn’t until last year, and he only started in nine games.

Howard’s first three seasons were above average for tight ends. When combining them, he had 94 receptions for 1,456 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In Howard’s final two seasons with the Buccaneers, all-time great tight end, Rob Gronkowski, was the starter. Howard’s achilles injury in 2020 and lack of playing time in 2021 were enough for him to leave the team and become a free agent.

The Bills signed Howard to back up starting tight end Dawson Knox, who had his breakout season last fall. The 25-year-old finished with 49 receptions for 587 yards and nine touchdowns (tied for most among all NFL tight ends). Like Howard, Knox is also an above average blocker.

If Knox is sidelined at any point during the season, Howard can replace him well. After two years of obstacles, Howard is finally healthy again and in shape to play like he did in his first three seasons.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott is confident in his new tight end’s ability to return to his normalcy.

“I know up until this point he probably wasn’t able to do what people thought he would, so I think again, just put it under our roof and get him to a place where he enjoys playing football again and becomes the best version of himself,” McDermott said.

The Buffalo Bills open up the regular season on Sept. 11 against the Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams.

This is the fourth story in a team-by-team series highlighting Alabama players in the NFL.

Bama in the NFL: Arizona Cardinals

Bama in the NFL: Atlanta Falcons

Bama in the NFL: Baltimore Ravens

Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL
Tracking Active Alabama Crimson Players in the NFL
Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL: Breakdown by Team
Active Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL by Position
All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL
All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Players in the NFL By Team
Former Alabama Crimson Tide Players Selected in the NFL Draft
All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Players Drafted by Round
NFL Draft: All-Time Alabama Crimson Tide Selections by NFL Teams
Alabama Crimson Tide Players Selected in the NFL Draft by Position

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