Green Bay Packers: 3 Trades for Buccaneers’ O.J. Howard
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have reportedly made tight end O.J. Howard available in a trade, and the Green Bay Packers should pounce.
It’s no secret the Green Bay Packers have a gaping hole at tight end. They cut Jimmy Graham after two mostly unproductive seasons and will rely heavily on unproven, second-year pro Jace Sternberger unless something changes. That’s where O.J. Howard comes in.
According to The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are open to trading the former first round pick before this year’s draft. It was previously rumored they wanted to move him before last year’s trade deadline, but a deal could never be made, as they were asking for a second-round pick.
At 6-foot-6, Howard is a physical specimen with good speed and good hands. On paper, he has very good potential and would immediately become the best tight end on the Packers’ roster. And he’s still under contract for two more years on his rookie deal.
Unfortunately, his physical abilities haven’t translated to the field. He’s maxed out at 34 receptions, 565 yards and six touchdowns across various seasons of his three-yar career. Not exactly worth a high pick. However, the Packers need upgrades to their pass-catchers if they want to get back to the Super Bowl and could offer these three deals for the tantalizing tight end.
3. 2019 Fourth-Round Pick and 2020 Fourth Round Pick
The Packers currently have 10 selection in this year’s draft and are set to accumulate another 10 in next year’s draft when you factor in the compensation picks for Bryan Bulaga, Blake Martinez and Kyler Fackrell. That gives them a little extra ammunition in any deal for Howard. Two fourth round picks might seem like a high price, but the Packers’ fourth-rounders from the last six years are J’Mon Moore, Vince Biegel, Jamaal Williams, Blake Martinez, Dean Lowry, Jake Ryan and Carl Bradford. There are good players in there, to be sure, but it’s far from a sure thing.
2. Jamaal Williams and a Fourth Round Pick
The Packers are already thin at running back, so it might not make sense to trade Williams away in any deal. However, Williams is set to be a free agent after this season so they could get ahead of the game and move him while getting something in return. Tampa Bay also has a need at the position–Ronald Jones is their current starter. The Packers could even propose next year’s fourth rounder instead of a 2020 selection in order to give them more ammunition to draft a running back in this year’s class.
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1. 3rd Round Pick
The Buccaneers are rumored to be asking for a second round pick so why not cut the difference and ship them a simple third-rounder? Howard’s potential is worth the gamble, and maybe it’s just a change of scenery he needs. Tight ends traditionally take a few years to develop anyways and he’s just 25-years-old. Howard is better than any player Green Bay could take at the end of the third round regardless.