The right tackle position this offseason has gone from one that looked to be Austin Howard's to lose, to one that he may have lost. At very least it is far from a sure thing with Menelik Watson giving Howard a run for his money.
Money is the primary reason it seemed initially like Howard was the favorite. He was the team's biggest free agent signing in 2014 and is set to make some $6.4 million against the cap. You don't pay that kind of money to a backup.
They signed the career right tackle to be their starting right guard and that experiment did not go well, prompting new head coach Jack Del Rio to move Howard back to right tackle in the hopes of getting the most out of him.