Going into this offseason, Dawson Knox essentially had solidified his role as the starting tight end for the Buffalo Bills. However, it was a position that needed an insurance policy. Knox missed several games last season due to a broken hand, showing a need for depth at the tight end position.
Buffalo then signed tight end O.J. Howard in free agency to an affordable one-year, $3.5 million deal. Howard is coming off back-to-back seasons of under 200 receiving yards with Tampa Bay, but this is due to a mix of Rob Gronkowski's workload and Howard's own injury issues. Nonetheless, Bills coach Sean McDermott is optimistic about Howard turning things around in Buffalo.
“I know up until this point he probably wasn’t able to do what people thought he would, so I think again just put it under our roof and get him to a place where he enjoys playing football again and becomes the best version of himself,” McDermott said.
Additionally, Knox has been impressed with Howard so far as well.
"Just his size. It makes you feel small,” Knox stated about the 6-6, 242-pound Howard. “This guy is huge. He has a great hunting radius, goes on good trails, and is also strong. So, it has a very tight finish and I think it will impress us this year.”
Howard has already began getting a rhythm with his starting quarterback Josh Allen.
"We’ve been there, I think, twice a week, and in phase two, we started running roads and doing things like that,” Howard said in May. "The more we did that, the more comfortable we became for each other.”
While Howard has already been drawing criticisms early on with the Bills, his teammates seem to be sold on the newly acquired tight end. Howard will be looking for a career revival, and comes in with a winning mindset.
"We know what it takes to get this far. We just have to finish the deal," says Howard.
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