Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first-round draft pick and Super Bowl winning tight end O.J. Howard is looking to work his way back into the NFL after working out with the contending Baltimore Ravens according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
The Ravens are seemingly working Howard out to the ankle injury that All-Pro tight end Mark Andrews suffered in their game against the Cincinnati Bengals this past weekend in which the defender appeared to make the dreaded 'hip-drop' tackle - landing on Andrews' ankle. There is optimism that Andrews will return at some point this season, but as a precaution, Baltimore is doing their due diligence in terms of depth at the position.
After being selected 17th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft out of the University of Alabama by the Buccaneers, Howard spent the first five years of his career in Tampa Bay.
Howard was a highly touted tight end coming out of college, but he was never fully able to match the hype that accompanied him being the 17th overall draft pick.
Throughout his five-year career in Tampa Bay, Howard compiled 119 receptions for 1,737 yards and 15 touchdowns. Howard was a pretty serviceable tight end up until he tore his achilles in 2020. Following the injury he never could regain the form he had to start his NFL career.
Howard has spent time with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders, and most recently was a member of the Houston Texans in 2022 where he started 10 games. In those 10 contests, he was only able to muster 10 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
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