In the span of a few minutes, the Bills signed pass rusher Von Miller and then tight end O.J. Howard.Â
Howard signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal, with incentives that could push the total to $5 million, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The 27-year-old tight end has played all five of his previous seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Last season, he had 135 receiving yards, 14 catches and one touchdown. Howard missed the bulk of the Buccaneers' Super Bowl season in 2020 with a torn Achilles.Â
A first-round draft pick by the Buccaneers in 2017 out of Alabama, he has played 59 games, tallying 1,737 receiving yards, 119 receptions and 15 touchdowns.
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Howard had 11 total touchdowns his first two seasons, with six as a rookie and five the following year. His production dipped after his injury, but also behind a loaded Buccaneers roster.
The Bills, meanwhile, needed some depth at tight end. General Manager Brandon Beane was candid about that when the season ended. Third-year tight end Dawson Knox emerged, with 587 yards, 49 catches and nine touchdowns. The nine touchdowns were a franchise record by a tight end.
"Dawson did really well. Maybe some depth there to compete with him," Beane said after the end of the season on team needs.
More than just depth though, Howard could be used in two-tight-end sets for the Bills moving forward, as the Buffalo offense evolves under new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey.Â
