–Tight end O.J. Howard, who was in the midst of a breakout season in his second year as a pro, will miss the rest of the season with foot and ankle injuries suffered late in Sunday’s loss to the Giants.
The team placed Howard on injured reserve Tuesday. Howard sustained separate injuries on the same play in the fourth quarter of the Bucs’ 38-35 road loss.
Late in the fourth quarter, Howard caught a pass down the middle of the field for a 24-yard gain before he was taken down from behind at the 8-yard line by linebacker Tae Davis.
Davis’ weight came down on Howard’s right leg. Howard walked off the field under his own power, but didn’t return.
Howard, the Bucs’ first-round pick in the 2017 draft (19th overall), had emerged as one of the game’s top big-play tight ends. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, his 16.62 yards per reception is the best in the NFL among starting tight ends.
Howard’s 565 receiving yards ranked fifth in the league among tight ends, and his five receiving touchdowns tied for third most at the position. He had 78 receiving yards – his second highest total this season – on five catches Sunday.
–The Bucs are fortunate they have a pretty good replacement for O.J. Howard in tight end Cameron Brate.
As Howard emerged as one of the NFL’s best pass-catching tight ends this season, Brate became a sort of forgotten man. After averaging 52 catches, 625 yards, seven receiving touchdowns and 11.9 yards per catch the two previous seasons, Brate hasn’t recorded more than three catches in a game this year.
“Anytime you lose a player like O.J., it’s going to hurt your offense,” Brate said Wednesday. “I thought he was having a Pro Bowl-caliber season. I feel really bad for him. Obviously, it’s not the way he wanted his season to end, but I can’t say enough about how well he played the first 10 games. Guys are going to step up in his absence. … (The other tight ends) are probably going to be asked to do a little bit more, and we’re ready for it.”
Howard’s 16.62 yards per reception led all starting tight ends. His 565 receiving yards ranked fifth among tight ends, and his five receiving touchdowns tied for third at the position.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “In my heart, yeah, I believe I can be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. But we have an opportunity to show that. For me to be in the ranks with all those high-ranked guys, I have to show that consistently.” – Bucs QB Jameis Winston.
BY THE NUMBERS: 526 – Number of points the Bucs are on pace to surrender, a full touchdown less than the worst defense in NFL history.
