Thankfully, we’re still a few months away from hearing Christmas carols on the radio and in stores.
For Jameis Winston, however, Santa Claus came in the spring when the Buccaneers signed DeSean Jackson in free agency and tight end O.J. Howard fell down the chimney all the way to No. 19, where the Bucs drafted him in the first round.
Winston likes his new toys.
“We’re happy to have O.J. What he’s going to do to that team is going to be amazing,” Winston told NFL.com. “This is the fastest, most athletic 6-6, 255 guy I’ve ever seen in my life. It’s unreal.”
Howard caught five passes for 208 yards and two touchdowns in the 2015 national championship game, helping Alabama defeat Clemson 45-40.
Clemson turned the tables and defeated Alabama 35-31 in the 2016 national championship game, but even in defeat Howard caught four balls for 106 yards and a touchdown.
Howard thrived on the big stage in college, but Winston and the Buccaneers faltered when the playoffs were within reach last season. The Buccaneers were 8-5 at one point, but lost two of their last three and missed the playoffs at 9-7.
According to Team Rankings, the Buccaneers scored touchdowns on 51.85 percent of their trips inside the red zone last year, 20th in the league. In those last three games, that rate dropped to 44.44.
If Howard improves that red zone efficiency, it’s a good thing that Christmas present came early for Winston. Christmas Day would be a little too late for help in making the 2017 playoffs.
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