The Houston Texans in a very familiar position this offseason where, yet again, the team needs to find another tight end. Brevin Jordan is coming off a promising rookie season but is the only tight end under contract as Jordan Akins and Pharaoh Brown are both set to enter free agency and very possibly leave Houston.
The position group has been a bit of a revolving door in Houston with numerous failed draft selections that come to mind, most recently 2019 third round selection Kahale Warring who caught a grand total of four catches over his Texans tenure. Akins was a 2018 third-round selection and, going further back, C.J. Fiedorowicz was a third-round selection in 2014. The Texans have had a really hard time finding a reliable tight end since the departure of Owen Daniels in 2013.
10 days in the life of TE Kahale Warring:
8/23: Waived by the Texans
8/24: Claimed by the Patriots off waivers
8/27: Waived by the Patriots
8/28: Claimed by the Colts off waivers
8/31: Waived by the Colts
9/2: Signed to the Bills’ practice squad todayQuite a journey.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 2, 2021
Brevin Jordan caught 20 catches for 178 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie campaign. The limited production came in spite of an incredibly anemic passing offense that frequently featured conservative game plans from former offensive coordinator Tim Kelly. His future is promising, but Houston has a responsibility to continue taking dart throws at the position if they are to help Davis Mills become the best quarterback he can.
Enter impending free agent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ O.J. Howard
O.J. Howard is interesting
Had an upward trend in Tampa before Brady arrived. Between Tom loving his guys (Gronk, Brate) & an Achilles tear in 2020 things didn't work out
Former 2017 1st round pick that would be a cheap, high upside pairing w/ Brevin for the Texans #WeAreTexans
— John Crumpler (@TexansDoc) February 17, 2022
Coming out of the University of Alabama at 6-6, 251 pounds, Howard was the unanimous No. 1 TE in the 2017 draft and selected 19th overall by the Buccaneers as an additional weapon to pair with Mike Evans for Jameis Winston.
Howard caught six and five touchdowns during his first two seasons while his targets increased from 39 to 48 to 53 from 2017 to 2019. Interestingly, of Howard’s 26 receptions as a rookie, 20 of those went for first downs. He was a talented young player who had chemistry with Winston and clearly showed an upward trend. All of this happening at a tight end position that often takes years for young players to master.
In March of 2020, Tom Brady left his illustrious career with the New England Patriots behind to write a new chapter in Tampa Bay. Everyone knows the story. This is where things unfortunately turned for the worse for Howard. Trade speculation began almost immediately.
In response to any speculation that Tampa could trade OJ Howard, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht said today: "We're excited about having OJ Howard play with Rob Gronkowski. Why wouldn't you want to have many weapons at that position? We have an excellent tight end group right now."
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2020
Future Hall of Famer Rob Gronkowski exited retirement to join Brady and immediately inserted himself as No. 1 on the team’s depth chart. Brady, notorious for preferring veteran players as receivers, formed a quick connection with Cameron Brate as the team’s second tight end.
Suddenly, Howard was left out to dry behind Evans, Chris Godwin, Gronkowski, Brate and eventually Antonio Brown. There were too many mouths to feed in Tampa to make an impact and this problem was only furthered when Howard tore his Achilles in October of 2020. After missing the rest of the eventual Super Bowl winning campaign, Howard saw 21 targets for 14 receptions and one touchdown during the 2021 campaign. All were the lowest totals of his career.
Howard now prepares to enter 2022 as a free agent in what is a relatively deep, although not top heavy, free agent class that features names like Dalton Schultz, Zach Ertz, Mike Gesicki and David Njoku. His injury history and unproven production make a multi-year contract unlikely.
This is where Houston may be a perfect marriage.
The Texans represent an opportunity for ample playing time where Howard’s talent would immediately slot him into the No. 2 or potentially even the No. 1 tight end role depending on his performance at camp. Mills showed enough promise during his rookie season that it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative toward any free agent’s ability to produce numbers. Additionally, new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton is well-regarded around the league.
Howard would be a great upgrade in Houston’s tight ends room and represents the sort of low-risk, high-reward player that are needed to accelerate rebuilds. The relatively cheap investment in free agency could also stop the Texans from using yet another high draft pick at the position and to address holes on the defensive side of the ball that will need to be addressed if Lovie Smith is to be successful.
General Manager Nick Caserio has a responsibility to surround Mills with as many weapons as possible entering the 2022 season while also addressing numerous other deficiencies on the roster. Howard would be a great fit without sacrificing any significant draft capital or salary.
