What to Expect from O.J. Howard in 2020

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent a top-20 pick on O.J. Howard in the 2017 NFL Draft, it came with the expectation that he could quickly develop into one of the league's more dominant and productive players at the tight end position.

Three years later, Howard has yet to truly break out in terms of his production in the passing game, though he has shown flashes of the rare athleticism that made him such an attractive prospect.

Injuries haven't helped his cause, and a lack of consistency as a pass-catcher has kept him from becoming the reliable target many quarterbacks expect their tight ends to be. Splash plays have been mixed in with drops and fumbles, making Howard as much of a mystery heading into his fourth NFL season as he's ever been.

Even before the Bucs traded for Rob Gronkowski this offseason, Howard was the subject of trade rumors. But the Bucs have remained confident in their investment with Howard, and he's looking forward to being the best version of himself in 2020. And while some might think it's the passing game where he needs improvement, Howard is more focused on getting better as a run blocker.

“I really, honestly, just wanted to improve in the run game," Howard said via video conference call after Monday's training camp practice. "Since college I’ve taken pride in the run game. Coming from Alabama, we ran the ball a lot. Last year it was just more about my footwork. I took a step back in that. Once I started focusing more on that, the run game footwork and all the other stuff, the effort is always going to be there. The passing game, I never was too worried about that. I just have to make some plays in that aspect of the game. But, for me, it was the footwork in the run game this offseason and [I am] working on that as we speak now.”

Howard acknowledges that the tight end position is among the most challenging in the game, but he feels more confident going into his second year in this particular offensive system under head coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich.

“It’s always a tough position in a lot of offenses, from the different things they ask you to do in the position," Howard said. "But here, like coach said, it was kind of a different level taken to it with some of the things we had to learn in the offense. Last year, it took some getting used to. Year two has slowed down for everyone in our room. We’re helping Gronk and trying to make it simple for him – easy ways to get used to the calls. It’s just different things that they ask us to do in this offense at the tight end position that you may not have done in the past. Year two, like I said, is a lot simpler. It makes a lot more sense and now it’s making sense to all of us in the room.”

With Howard and Gronkowski, as well as veteran Cameron Brate and underrated reserve Antony Auclair, the Bucs have arguably the deepest tight end group in the entire NFL.

That means high expectations, just like the rest of the team has heading into the 2020 season.

“We definitely are going to have opportunities to make plays," Howard said. "We’ve got a room full of talent, mismatches, guys all over the board. I think coach and Byron [Leftwich] are going to do a great job of just putting us in positions to make plays.”

So, if you're looking for gaudy receiving numbers for your fantasy football team, Howard probably isn't going to deliver this season. But if you're a Bucs fan hoping for a more complete version of Howard than you've seen so far, you just might get your wish.