Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end OJ Howard would seem like a potential casualty after the Bucs traded for former New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski earlier this week.
Gronkowski figures to be the starter as incoming quarterback Tom Brady's favorite target from his days in New England, and the Bucs could even use him as a split end while keeping Cameron Brate in the traditional tight end spot.
The Bucs were also reportedly in talks to trade Howard to the Washington Redskins in exchange for left tackle Trent Williams, but the trade fell through before Williams was traded to the San Francisco 49ers.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported the main reason Howard has yet to be traded stems from Tampa Bay's asking price:
On a related note, the Buccaneers’ asking price for tight end O.J. Howard has been described as way too high, which explains why he seems to perpetually live on the trading block.
It would have made sense for the Bucs to try and fetch some draft value in exchange for Howard, though perhaps they were trying to accrue too much capital.
Howard certainly has talent. He averaged 16.6 yards per reception in each of his first two seasons, racking up 565 yards receiving in just 10 games in 2018. But Howard also took a step back last year and also had five drops.
At the same time, perhaps the Bucs are setting a high asking price because they actually intend on keeping Howard. After all, General Manager Jason Licht said the team was “excited” about pairing Gronkowski and Howard together.
But if the Bucs are still looking to attain future value for Howard, they might have to lower their demands.
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