As the offseason lugs along, it is not hard to find articles making predictions for the upcoming season. In one written by The Draft Network’s Joe Marino predicting NFC South breakout performers, he tabbed third-year tight end as a star waiting to bust out for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Howard’s blend of size, athletic ability, physicality and ball skills make him a matchup nightmare… Howard is insanely gifted and I expect head coach Bruce Arians to maximize his playmaking ability to the fullest moving forward” (Marino via The Draft Network).
This year may just be the perfect storm for Howard, given a determined Jameis Winston in his contract year, the vertical offense of new head coach Bruce Arians, and the departure of Adam Humphries (he will now more than likely see more targets over the middle of the field).