Former Buccaneers First-Round Pick Released Without Playing A Snap For Las Vegas Raiders

This is the second straight year that Tampa Bay's former top pick was released during the preseason.

Dustin Lewis | Aug 1, 2023

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Teams around the NFL won't be required to make roster cuts until August 29. With that being said, there are still a few franchises that are staying active on the transaction wire early in training camp.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Las Vegas Raiders released veteran tight end OJ Howard according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore. Howard signed with the Raiders in March after his one-year deal with the Houston Texans expired.

The @Raiders have released TE O.J. Howard.
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) August 1, 2023

The seventh-year tight end has been bouncing around the league since his rookie contract expired with the Buccaneers following the 2021-22 season. He inked a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills last year before being cut ahead of the regular season. Howard landed with the Texans less than a week later and scored two touchdowns in the opening week of the 2022 season.

Those were his only two scores of the year as Howard only caught 10 passes for 145 yards during his time in Houston. There was optimism he would bounce back in Las Vegas but the franchise released him before Howard even got a chance to participate in a fully padded practice.

Howard was originally selected by the Buccaneers with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He became a late riser in the draft process after two standout performances against Clemson in the National Champion in consecutive years, including a career-high five catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns in 2016.

Though undoubtedly talented, Howard could never find his footing in Tampa Bay due to a variety of injuries and miscues. He caught 199 passes for 1,737 yards with 15 receiving touchdowns during his five years with the franchise. Howard was a member of the Super Bowl LV team but was unable to compete for most of the year after tearing his Achilles in October.

He'll be looking for his fifth team since 2022.

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Published Aug 1, 2023

DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined BucsGameday when it was founded in 2022. He's also the Editor-In-Chief of NoleGameday. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis has worked for NG since 2016.