Bucs tight end OJ Howard probably should’ve used some of the time off he used to recover from injury to get extra reps on the Jugs machine.
Howard has always excelled at getting open — exploiting mismatches against linebackers and defensive backs. But it’s his hands, in terms of hauling in passes, as well as blocking, that have been an issue.
It’s been said that he could improve his blocking technique, or if not, then he’d only be on the field when the Bucs are in certain packages, often on passing downs. Tom Brady sure seems to enjoy trotting out four or five receivers and picking apart opposing defenses.
But he’s still struggling with dropped passes, as his performance in the team’s preseason game against the Titans showed.
So that video from earlier where OJ Howard dropped a pass he should’ve had… here’s another one, an arguably even easier one to catch, that he didn’t
Make or break year for the TE #gobucs pic.twitter.com/EJZesUfbco
— 𝗭𝗮𝗰 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗻𝗲𝗿🎙 (@ZacOnTheMic) August 22, 2021
Howard was targeted six times in the game, but caught only three of those, for a paltry 24 yards. This issue will be an interesting storyline to follow in the coming weeks, heading into the season.