Green Bay Packers: Gutey Should Be Calling On TE OJ Howard

It’s been reported that TE O.J. Howard is available via trade and the Green Bay Packers should be picking up the phone to see what Tampa is asking for.

The tight end position is one that the Green Bay Packers have struggled to figure out over the last handful of seasons. Despite bringing in some high-profile free agents in recent years, none of them were able to stick or produce like we all had hope.

When it comes to this year’s group made up of Jace Sternberger, Marcedes Lewis, and Robert Tonyan, I would categorize them as fine, and of course, there is certainly room for improvement.

While Sternberger is expected to see his role greatly increase this season, he is still only a second-year player at a difficult position. Meanwhile, Lewis is at the end of his career and he is a limited in what he can do, while Tonyan doesn’t have much regular-season experience either.

Although when it comes to the long-term projection of this unit, I do think that they are in good hands with Sternberger, however, there is certainly the possibility that this group underwhelms again in 2020. So adding another player to the mix should certainly be in play for GM Brian Gutekunst.

The draft is one avenue in which they can do this, but it’s worth pointing out that this year’s tight end class isn’t the best and as I mentioned above, the transition from college to the NFL is especially difficult at this position. Meaning, even if Green Bay spends a top-100 pick on the position – something that I am not advocating for – there is the very real possibility that this player won’t contribute much in 2020.

Additionally, they could also look to free agency, but any remaining options are either underwhelming or past their primes. Not exactly someone who is going to come in and make a significant impact.

However, a third option that is now on the table and is one that Gutey should strongly consider looking into, is O.J. Howard of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who is reportedly on the trade block.

It was recently reported by Michael Lombardi of The Athletic, that an NFL source told him that the Bucs are looking to trade Howard and it could happen next week at the draft.

Howard was the 19th overall pick by Tampa in the 2017 NFL draft out of Alabama where he was known for his athleticism and big-play potential. Over his first three seasons, Howard has appeared in 38 games and totaled nearly 1,500 receiving yards at 15.5 yards per catch with 12 touchdowns.

In fact, during the 2018 season, we were starting to see some noticeable improvements from Howard who caught 72 percent of the passes thrown his way for 565 yards at nearly 17 yards per catch with five touchdowns. And he did all of that in only 10 games before ending up on IR.

However, under new head coach Bruce Arians in 2019, Howard didn’t see as many targets in the passing game and as a result, he saw his total yards and touchdowns decrease despite being on the field more often. But for what it’s worth, he still had more receiving yards than Jimmy Graham.

At only 25-years-old, Howard is just entering his prime years and a fresh start with a new team could do him wonders. Especially in Green Bay with Matt LaFleur as the head coach and Aaron Rodgers tossing him the rock.

While Howard primarily lines up inline, he has also shown that he can play from the slot, out wide, and he has even taken snaps out of the backfield. This ability to line up all over the formation is something that LaFleur expects his tight ends to be able to do.

And despite Howard’s mixed results in Tampa, we’ve still seen the big-play potential that he possesses as well as his reliability as a pass-catcher, both of which are aspects that this Green Bay Packers’ passing game desperately needs. Not to mention that he and Rodgers could form quite the formidable one-two punch in the red zone.

So while this move makes sense on paper, can the Packers afford Howard’s contract and what will it take to acquire him?

To answer the first question, despite Green Bay not having a ton of cap space left over, Howard’s cap hit in 2020 is only $3.5 million. So he certainly isn’t going to break the bank. On top of that, he has a team option for the 2021 season as well which would keep in Green Bay for a second year if they choose to pick it up.

Now as far as the cost, well, that is the million-dollar question. If Tampa is willing to take a Day 3 pick for Howard, then the Packers should absolutely get this trade done. With that said, if Tampa is asking for a third-rounder, for example, then I’m not as sure.

Top-100 picks in the draft are quite valuable and despite Howard’s pedigree and potential, there is still some risk in the Packers trading for him as there is no guarantee that he starts producing at a higher level.

Another option that the Packers have, and whether or not Tampa would be interested remains to be seen, but they do have an additional bargaining chip in Lane Taylor who is in the final year of his contract. And if traded, that will create roughly $4 million in additional cap space for Green Bay.

So having said all of that, Gutey and the Green Bay Packers should absolutely be calling Tampa and seeing what it would take to get this deal done. The tight end position still has some question marks around it, Howard’s ability would give this offense a presence that they just haven’t had the past two seasons, and he could very well provide the passing game with a much-needed boost.

UPDATE: It has recently been reported by Michael Lombardi that the Buccaneers are looking for a second-round pick in return for Howard. Now does that mean that Tampa won’t take less? Not at all. But if they are in fact expecting a second round pick for him, then the Green Bay Packers should pass. Howard is just too much of an unknown to give up that kind of draft capital.