After Buccaneers Trade for Gronk, Bengals should Target O.J. Howard

Now with a plethora of tight ends after the Rob Gronkowski trade, the Buccaneers could be willing to trade O.J. Howard to the Cincinnati Bengals.

As if this offseason weren’t interesting enough, superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski has decided to return from retirement to continue catching touchdown passes from an all-time great and his old quarterback, Tom Brady.

This leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with three big-time tight ends in Gronk, Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard. Howard, in particular, should be of interest to the Cincinnati Bengals, as they look to add weapons around their next franchise quarterback, who will almost certainly be Joe Burrow.

Even before the Bucs made a move for Gronkowski, Michael Lombardi of The Athletic reported that a league source told him that the team was attempting to trade Howard. Now that they’ve acquired a future Hall-of-Famer to take his place, a trade seems extremely likely.

Howard will be entering the fourth year of his rookie contract (carrying a cap hit of $3.5 M) and play the season at just 25-years-old. Although he could be a flight risk in free agency, he does have a fifth-year option, as he was a first-round pick.

According to Field Yates, the Bengals wield right around $7.5 million in cap space. In order to absorb Howard’s contract while also being able to sign a rookie class and save room for injury insurance, a small move would likely have to be made.

The financial side is feasible and the on-the-field aspect makes a lot of sense too. Howard is a very talented tight end and can certainly make big plays in the passing game. Bengals fans are all too aware of the impact a big-bodied receiving tight end can make for the offense. When Tyler Eifert was healthy, he completely transformed the team’s aerial attack.

Now, the Bengals have a void at that spot, and Howard could fill it well. If and when the front office makes the obvious choice of Burrow on Thursday night, their focus will turn to building around him.

Giving him a big, reliable target to throw to would be a great start, especially in the red zone. Considering the fact that the offense already offers weapons such as A.J. Green, Joe Mixon, and Tyler Boyd, it’s safe to say Burrow would be surrounded by a more than adequate supporting cast to begin his NFL career.

There’s really no telling what a trade would look like at this point. The Buccaneers themselves acquired Gronk for a fourth-round pick and even got a 7th-rounder in return. If they want to recuperate that selection, the Bengals should certainly oblige, as the chances of a fourth-rounder turning out as good as Howard look slim.

The former Alabama tight end has had some struggles in Tampa Bay but has still managed to reel in around 500 yards receiving each year. In his rookie campaign, he even caught 6 touchdown passes. Cincinnati could offer him a fresh start and allow him to reach his full potential.

Head coach Zac Taylor didn’t utilize tight ends much in his first year at the helm but that should change if they’re able to acquire a player with the potential of O.J. Howard.

The Bengals have made plenty of uncharacteristic moves so far this offseason and this offers them the chance to make another bold transaction.