Bills Trade O.J. Howard Rumor; 53-Man Roster Cut Starts with 6 Moves
Could O.J. Howard's Buffalo Bills career end as quickly as it began?
Buffalo might have a decision to make when addressing the depth behind Dawson Knox, as the newcomer Howard could be bound for the trade block as the mandated roster cutdown to 53 men looms on Tuesday.
Buffalo made five moves on Monday as the clock ticks: The Bills have released: CB Jordan Miller, WR Neil Pau’u, OL Jacob Capra, OL Tanner Owen, DB Josh Thomas and DE Daniel Joseph.
Howard, Tampa Bay's first-round pick from 2017, came over on a one-year deal in March. While he gained elite experience with the Buccaneers (which include a run to a Super Bowl ring in 2020-21), Howard found himself losing summer reps to the returning Quintin Morris and Tommy Sweeney. Morris, for example, played with the Bills' offensive starters in the team's second preseason tilt against Denver. Howard later scored a touchdown in the 42-15 shellacking of the Broncos but Morris' dance with the stars was perhaps a telling sign of Howard's current role with the organization.
Morris, set to enter his second season with the Bills, signed with the team last season as an undrafted free agent and was retained on a reserve/future deal. Though he did not appear in any regular season games last season, he started to establish a camp name for himself on special teams.
Though the Bills can simply cut ties with Howard come Tuesday, they'll likely be inclined to try and move him via trade considering his 2022 salary (just short of $2 million) is fully guaranteed. It's possible, for example, that the Bills could use a trade of Howard, armed with enough upside, to solve their punting situation while retaining a part of his salary.
Either way, it appears that Howard's fledgling days with the team may already be numbered. General manager Brandon Beane has built the hype in Western New York through shrewd dealing so it wouldn't be shocking to see him use a free agent misfire to solve unexpected issues.
Buffalo opens its 2022-23 season on Sept. 8 against the Los Angeles Rams (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC).
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
