The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kicked off the 2020 campaign with one of the most enviable arsenals in the entire NFL. However, Tom Brady, coach Bruce Arians and company will have to navigate the rest of the calendar without one of their targets more reliable.
The team announced Tuesday that the tight ind OJ Howard suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in Sunday’s win against the Chargers and he will be out for the rest of the season, the most recent loss for a team that has been hit hard by injuries.
Howard, who has struggled in three seasons as a professional to meet the expectations that come with being a first-round pick, is no stranger to the disabled list. He has never played more than 14 games in a season and in 2018 was limited to just 10 appearances.
Howard’s 2020 season was even shorter and even more sensitive considering that the Alabama graduate was shaping up to enjoy his best season as a professional. Howard, who has never had more than 34 receptions or 565 yards, already had 11 receptions in four games and 146 yards, in addition to earning the trust of Brady in an attack full of options.
Howard was third on the team with 19 balls in his direction, behind only Mike Evans and Scott Miller. Additionally, the tight end was second in Tampa Bay’s touchdown receptions with two and had consistently improved his production with every game on the schedule.
Fortunately for the Bucs offense, they still have Cameron Brate and veteran Rob Gronkowski at the position, however neither of them have Howard’s blocking skills and on offense they both combine for just 10 receptions and 93 yards with a touchdown.
Howard’s is a sensible casualty, but Tampa Bay already showed on Sunday that it has the capacity to adapt by beating the Chargers despite the absences of running back Leonard Fournette and wide receiver Chris Godwin. Your next test could be even more difficult.
The Bucs operate in a short week considering that their next commitment is Thursday against Chicago, and Monday and Tuesday they trained without Evans (ankle), Godwin (hamstring), Miller (hip) and Justin Watson (chest), that is, his four best receivers, although it is still premature how many of them could miss the game against the Bears. The availability of Fournette (ankle) will be defined on the day of the match.
