Howard 'still catching up'

Buccaneers TE O.J. Howard returned to the practice field at the end of July, but that doesn't mean he's all the way back physically, coming off the Achilles' tendon tear that ended his 2020 season. “He’s not there yet," HC Bruce Arians said in his Monday press conference. "He had a chance to make a couple grimy chances in the end zone today [and] didn’t come up with them. I expect him to make those. He’s still catching up to the speed of it and the physicality of it. He’s been out a long time, so he needs this camp.” Howard remains a later-round flier in all formats, so it's easy to take on the risk that he doesn't rebound all the way. The upside, of course, is that he does get back close to 100% of his previous level and takes the receiving lead among Tampa Bay TEs. We'll see how he progresses through the rest of camp and preseason.

The Raiders released TE O.J. Howard. Once an exciting fantasy prospect, Howard's dynasty value is on life support. He's totaled just 24 catches in two seasons since tearing his Achilles. We'll see if the 28-year-old latches on elsewhere before Week 1. The Raiders move forward with Michael Mayer and Austin Hooper as their top two TEs.

The Raiders signed TE O.J. Howard to a one-year deal. The 2017 first-round pick has struggled since his 2020 Achilles tear, totaling just 24 catches across 30 games the past two seasons. Howard did average a big 14.5 yards per catch for the Texans last year -- but finished third among the team's TEs with just 10 catches. Howard at least finds opportunity in Las Vegas, where the Raiders traded away TE Darren Waller and have not at this point re-signed TE Foster Moreau. We'll see what the rest of the offseason brings. For now, consider Howard just a last-round flier in best-ball drafts.

Texans TE O.J. Howard caught both of QB Davis Mills' TD passes in Sunday's tie with the Colts. He ran well behind the other 2 TEs in playing time, though. Howard spent just 12 snaps in the game, trailing Brevin Jordan's 40 and Pharaoh Brown's 45. Brown ran 16 routes to Howard's 6, with Jordan leading at 24. It was a great Week 1 for anyone who stashed Howard late in a best-ball draft, but don't consider it a reason to go pick him up.

The Texans signed TE O.J. Howard. Once a promising fantasy prospect, Howard has totaled just 25 catches over the past 2 seasons and couldn't make a Bills team with nothing at TE behind Dawson Knox. We'll keep an eye on him, but Howard isn't a good bet for 2022 fantasy value. Brevin Jordan remains the TE to target in Houston.

The Bills are releasing TE O.J. Howard, according to multiple reports. This might be the end of NFL relevance for the once-promising former 1st-round pick who dealt with multiple significant injuries through his 5 years with the Bucs. Howard signed a 1-year deal with Buffalo this offseason but has been working behind lesser-known TEs throughout the preseason.