The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' tumultuous 2017 NFL season continued in Week 15. Not only did they suffer their fourth straight defeat, but they also endured several key injuries on Monday night.
Among the most notable names was rookie tight end O.J. Howard, who ended his debut season with a foot injury following a 30-yard touchdown. According to Scott Smith of the team's website, he is one of five Bucs placed on IR:
Most significantly, the Buccaneers placed five players on injured reserve, four of whom were hurt in Monday night's narrow loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Those five are safety Justin Evans, linebacker, Adarius Glanton, cornerback Vernon Hargreaves, tight end O.J. Howard and guard J.R. Sweezy.
Prior to his injury, Howard was one of the few bright spots in Tampa Bay's lackluster offense this year. The 19th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft recorded 26 receptions for 432 yards and six touchdowns in his rookie campaign.
Despite hauling in a relatively low number of catches, Howard made them count by becoming an immediate red zone threat. His combination of size and speed make him a matchup nightmare for defenses in the end zone.
Although the Buccaneers have plenty of work to do this offseason, they can at least take solace in the fact that they have a new dynamic in the middle of a potentially explosive offense in 2018.
Follow Us
Subscribe