Former Bucs First-Round Pick signs with Las Vegas Raiders
Free agency is continuing to progress across the NFL after kicking off nearly a week ago. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have already made a couple of interesting additions, including the signing of veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield.
READ MORE: Baker Mayfield tabbed as Tom Brady's Successor in Tampa
With that being said, moves are being made across the league. The Buccaneers have lost a couple of players to deal with other teams and are seeing former players from the franchise get opportunities elsewhere.
On Monday, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport announced that former Bucs First-Round pick OJ Howard was signing a deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. Howard spent last season with the Houston Texans after moving on from Tampa Bay in free agency.
The Raiders were in the market for a tight end after trading Darren Waller to the New York Giants last week. He'll be a target for new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who takes the reins after Derek Carr moved on to New Orleans.
The Buccaneers originally selected Howard with the No. 19 overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. He showed promise early in his career but that also came with plenty of frustration as he struggled with issues such as dropping the football.
Injuries also limited his ability to consistently assert himself in Tampa. Howard was placed on IR in week 11 of the 2018 season while dealing with foot and ankle injuries. Two years later, he tore his Achilles in a win against the Los Angeles Chargers. The ailment sidelined him for the majority of the Super Bowl LV run.
The Alabama native recorded a career-high 34 catches for 565 yards with five touchdowns in 2018. However, he's failed to cross 150 receiving yards in a season over the past three years (2020-146, 2021-135, 2022-145).
Howard is joining his third franchise in the last two years. He signed with the Buffalo Bills after leaving the Buccaneers but was cut in training camp. After one season in Houston, he'll be back with a potential playoff team in Las Vegas.
Stick with BucsGameday and the Locked On Bucs podcast for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the season.
