The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t targeted first-round rookie O.J. Howard much this year. In fact, he has just two catches for a total of 29 yards—hardly the kind of production you’d expect from a tight end who was supposed to be a top ten pick.
That’s true, of course, but it ignores the value Howard adds as a run-blocker. He hasn’t been that versatile yet, but he took over 60% of the offensive snaps in both of his first games, more than any other tight end on the roster. He’s being used, just not as a receiver—not yet, anyway.