Arians: No Setbacks for Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard

O.J. Howard is inching closer to full health as he rehabs from a season-ending injury in 2020.

O.J. Howard scored two touchdowns and seemed to really find his groove in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers within the first four games of the 2020 season.

That is, until the fourth-year pro and former first-round pick suffered a ruptured Achilles against the Los Angeles Chargers in that fourth game. Howard would miss the remainder of the season and not partake in the Buccaneers' Super Bowl run.

With a $6 million price tag in 2021 on the fifth-year options, it was wondered if the Buccaneers could release Howard before that salary became guaranteed, in order to save salary cap space. The Bucs currently have just $1.4 million in 2021 salary cap after bringing back the majority of their free agents.

That date - the first day of the league year, this year it was March 17th - has passed, meaning Howard is locked in for the 2021 season instead. And it sounds as though head coach Bruce Arians has a plan for the athletic tight end when he's cleared to take the field again.

"Yeah, he's real close. You know, he's not running on the grass yet but he's really close," Arians said about Howard on Tuesday. "I know he's about, the last time I checked he was 80, 85 percent body weight running on the Ultra G and he looks fantastic.

"I don't see any setbacks, I think if and when we can get together in this offseason program on the field, he'll be ready to go," Arians continued. "And, yeah, what a huge addition to have him back because he was having a great year, and I think again, the sky is the limit for what he can do in this offense."

Howard provides quarterback Tom Brady with yet another intriguing weapon as a part of a deep Buccaneers' passing attack, which helped the team post 30+ points per game in their final seven games of the season, including the playoffs.

The 6-foot-6, 251-pound tight end has flashed the talent of a gamechanger throughout his time in Tampa Bay but has yet to put it all together as a consistent force in the Buccaneers' offense, at least until his roll at the beginning of this past season. In three years and including his limited 2020 production, Howard has caught 105 passes for 1,602 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Arians said on Tuesday that, as a whole, he believes the Buccaneers can be a better team in 2021 than they were as Super Bowl champs in 2020. He was sure to include Howard while foreshadowing improvement on offense.

"You know, knock on wood, with a little luck with health, I think we can be better. Obviously, throwing O.J. back in the mix, having [defensive tackle] Vita [Vea] healthy, if we can keep all of our guys healthy through the preseason, I think we'll be much better than we were week one last year. Now, in week 20 we should be measurably better, I think."