Can O.J. Howard carve out a role in the Buffalo Bills’ offense?
Signed to a one-year deal this offseason, this is a prove-it season for former first-round pick O.J. Howard. Howard’s usage in this offense will be fascinating to monitor. It’s unlikely that he beats out Dawson Knox, but we could see more variety in formations.
After practice on Monday, Dawson Knox mentioned they are running more 13 and 22 personnel this training camp due to the versatility. This is likely in direct reference to the presence of O.J. Howard.
Knox says they have worked on some 13 and 22 personnel due to the versatility on the offense this season #Bills
— Maddy Glab (@MadGlab) July 25, 2022
The issue with running 12 personnel with OJ Howard is that he isn’t an effective blocker. I think that if Howard is going to carve out a substantial role in this offense, it will have to be in a Zach Ertz type of role where he is more of a jumbo slot receiver than a true tight end.
With all their weapons, I think the Bills slot position could be matchup dependent and change on a game-to-game basis. But, at the very least, I think his 6’6″ 251-pound frame will allow Howard to carve out a role in the red zone in an offense that should be scoring lots of touchdowns in 2022.