The Raiders are slated to release Howard, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
The 2017 first-rounder joined the Raiders in March, but the team has evidently been impressed enough with Michael Mayer and Jesper Horsted to feel comfortable moving on from Howard. Also in Las Vegas' TE mix as the 2023 season approaches is free-agent addition Austin Hooper.
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Raiders' O.J. Howard: Lands with Las Vegas
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The Raiders agreed to terms with Howard on Monday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's Vincent Bonsignore reports.
The 19th overall pick in the 2017 Draft, Howard is now 28 years old and coming off a career-low 10 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns across 13 games for the Texans last season after failing to make the Bills' roster out of training camp last summer. There's an opening at tight end for the Raiders after the team traded Darren Waller to the Giants. Foster Moreau also remains a free agent.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Won't play Sunday
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Howard (hip) is officially inactive for Sunday's game against the Colts.
Howard popped up on the injury report with the hip issue Thursday and was able to put in a full practice Friday, but he won't suit up for the final game of the season Sunday. The 28-year-old closes out his first year in Houston with 10 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Questionable for Week 18
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Howard (hip) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Colts.
Howard returned to a full practice Friday after a limited session Thursday, so he appears to be trending toward playing. The depth tight end is unlikely to play a significant role in Houston's low-octane passing game.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Pops up on injury report
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Howard was a limited participant during practice Thursday due to a hip injury.
Howard was a healthy scratch in back-to-back games before suiting up for last Sunday's loss to Jacksonville, recording one catch for 26 yards on two targets across 17 offensive snaps. He then did not appear on Wednesday's injury report, so it's unclear when he sustained this new hip issue. Howard will now look to bump his practice activity back up Friday before the Texans release their final injury report for Sunday's regular-season finale versus Indianapolis.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Healthy scratch Week 13
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Howard (coach's decision) is a healthy inactive for Sunday's game against the Browns, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.
After logging a season-low 16 percent of the Texans' offensive snaps in last week's loss to the Dolphins, Howard will now find himself in street clothes for the first time in 2022. Brevin Jordan, who had been a healthy scratch the past three weeks, will replace Howard as the Texans' likely No. 3 tight end behind Jordan Akins and Teagan Quitoriano.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Loses playing time
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Howard caught one of three targets for nine yards and played 14 snaps in Sunday's 23-10 loss to the Commanders in Week 11.
Howard had a couple of red-zone looks, but he lost playing time to rookie Teagan Quitoriano, who led Houston's tight ends with 37 snaps. Howard was also behind Jordan Akins (26 snaps).
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Targeted once in Week 10
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Howard did not catch his lone target in Sunday's 24-16 loss to the Giants in Week 10.
Playing time opened up at tight end, as Brevin Jordan was a healthy inactive for the game, but it didn't do much for Howard. It was the fifth time in nine games that he's had one or fewer targets. Howard's been a non-factor since a two-TD day Week 1.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: One catch against Eagles
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Howard recorded one catch on two targets for 14 yards in Thursday's 29-17 loss to the Eagles.
Even with a depleted receiving corps, Howard earned a snap share of just 42 percent. He's now seen two or fewer targets in six of his eight games this season and has not caught a touchdown since Week 1. Howard will continue to work in a committee role at tight end alongside Brevin Jordan and Jordan Akins.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Pair of grabs in loss
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Howard caught two of three targets for 24 yards in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Titans in Week 8.
Howard had his first reception since catching a pair of balls in Week 4. With Brevin Jordan back in the lineup, there's more competition at tight end for targets in what is the NFL's 25th-ranked passing offense.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Minor role in Week 5
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Howard didn't secure his lone target in the Texans' 13-6 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
At least for the time being, Howard has moved to the top of the depth chart at tight end -- he played a position-high 46 snaps against Jacksonville -- but he's been limited to one target in three of his five games. With Pharaoh Brown now in Cleveland and with Brevin Jordan nursing an ankle injury, there's an opportunity for a Houston tight end to step up. Thus far, it's been Jordan Akins rather than Howard who is reaping the benefits, with Akins recording seven grabs on eight targets for 86 yards the last three weeks.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Lead TE in Week 4
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Howard caught two of five targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 34-24 loss to the Chargers in Week 4.
Howard ascended to the top of the depth chart, as both Pharaoh Brown (hip) and Brevin Jordan (ankle) were inactive. The five targets were a season high, and Howard could continue to see a bigger workload pending the health of Brown and Jordan. He and Jordan Akins played larger roles Sunday.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Targeted once Week 3
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Howard did not catch his lone target in Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Bears in Week 3.
Howard appeared in line for a greater role after the Texans announced Brevin Jordan (ankle) would not play, but he was challenged by Jordan Akins, who was promoted from the practice squad. Howard was on the field for 18 snaps compared to 17 for Akins, who caught three passes including a touchdown. It's unclear how the tight end position will shake out when Jordan is ready to play again, but it's likely one of Howard or Akins will be back on the outside. After a two-TD effort in Week 1, Howard has one catch (two targets) for seven yards since.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: One target in loss
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Howard caught his lone target for seven yards in Sunday's 16-9 loss to the Broncos in Week 2.
Howard was a surprising contributor in a Week 1 tie with the Colts, scoring two touchdowns on 12 snaps. He's still relatively new to the offense however, having signed during the week leading up to Week 1, and he played just 18 snaps against Denver. Pending the status of Brevin Jordan (ankle), Howard could see a significant increase in playing time Week 3 at Chicago.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Week 2 Early Waiver Targets (Add/Drop)
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We're so desperate for tight end production that we can't ignore Howard's two-touchdown performance less than two weeks after signing with the Texans. Howard played just 12 snaps in the game, fewer than both Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown, so he'll need to be a bigger part of the offense moving forward to maintain Fantasy relevance. However … he also scored two touchdowns on just six snaps, so it might be in the Texans best interest to get him more involved. I wouldn't recommend starting Howard, but if you're looking for tight end help and have the roster spot to play with, he's worth a stash.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Surprises with two TDs
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Howard secured both targets for 38 yards and two touchdowns in the Texans' 20-20 tie with the Colts on Sunday.
The recent addition was a hit in his Texans debut, maximizing his pair of targets by recording touchdown grabs of 16 and 22 yards. Howard came into the league back in 2017 with the Buccaneers carrying no shortage of promise as a receiver in addition to excellent blocking skills, but injuries and a wealth of other pass catchers in Tampa Bay conspired to rob him of opportunities in recent seasons. Whether Howard can finally realize his potential in Houston remains to be seen, but at least heading into Week 2, the 27-year-old should be a very popular waiver-wire add ahead of a road matchup against the Broncos next Sunday.
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Texans' O.J. Howard: Officially signs with Texans
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The Texans signed Howard on Friday.
Howard, who caught 14 passes (on 21 targets) for 135 yards and a TD in 17 games with Tampa Bay last season, adds depth to a Houston tight end corps that also includes Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown. Once he's up to speed with his new team's offense, the 2017 first-rounder has a chance to emerge as a pass-catching threat for the Texans, with Jordan representing his primary competition in that regard.
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O.J. Howard: On track to join Texans
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The Texans are slated to sign Howard, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Previous reports suggested that Howard might be headed to the Bengals, but per Kubena, the Texans worked out Howard on Thursday, and he's now in line to join a tight end group that also includes Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown. The 2017 first-rounder is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he caught 14 passes (on 21 targets) for 135 yards and a TD in 17 games with Tampa Bay, but with Houston, Howard could carve out a solid pass-catching role once he's up to speed with the offense.
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Bills' O.J. Howard: Could lose roster spot
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The Bills may consider moving on from Howard depending on his performance in the team's final preseason game Friday, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.
Buffalo is not expected to play the majority of its starters against the Panthers on Friday, so Howard's mere presence in this game could indicate that his spot is in jeopardy heading into final roster cuts Aug. 30. The 2017 first-round pick was expected to serve as the Bills' No. 2 tight end behind Dawson Knox after he joined the team on a one-year, $3.5 million deal in March following a disappointing final season in Tampa Bay (14-135-1). However, Buscaglia notes that Howard's subpar performance in training camp may allow either Tommy Sweeney or Quintin Morris to earn a spot as one of two tight ends that will make Buffalo's final roster -- a strategy that the team similarly utilized last year with just two rostered tight ends between Knox and Sweeney.
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Buccaneers' O.J. Howard: One catch in season-ending loss
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Howard brought in his sole target for seven yards during the Buccaneers' 30-27 loss to the Rams in their NFC divisional-round matchup Sunday.
In what may have been his last game in a Buccaneers uniform, Howard primarily filled his usual blocking role over his 11 snaps on offense. The fifth-year tight end now heads into an offseason of uncertainty, as Tampa Bay has essentially shown no interest in retaining the 27-year-old despite having invested the 19th overall pick in him back in 2017. If Howard does indeed suit up elsewhere in 2022, he'll finish his Bucs career with just 25 receptions for 281 yards and three touchdowns on 40 targets over 21 games across the last two seasons.
