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Free Agents the Buccaneers Can Sign to Replace O.J. Howard

By Jason Schandl

Free agent tight ends the Buccaneers can target to replace O.J. Howard.
Free agent tight ends the Buccaneers can target to replace O.J. Howard. / Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images
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After going down with an ankle injury in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the worst-case scenario has been confirmed for O.J. Howard. He has suffered a torn Achilles tendon and will be shut down for the season.

Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate will step up in his absence, but as a team that plays their tight ends a bunch, the Bucs now need some more depth.

These three free agents would be great targets for the Bucs.

1. Charles Clay

Charles Clay could be an interesting free agent target for the Buccaneers.
Charles Clay could be an interesting free agent target for the Buccaneers. / Christian Petersen/Getty Images

A versatile former fullback, Charles Clay is only a couple seasons removed from a long stretch of solid production. He caught at least 49 passes every year from 2013 to 2017. Injuries held him back over the last couple seasons, but Clay is still just 31 years old, and he could be a valuable depth piece in Tampa.

2. Delanie Walker

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could target Delanie Walker as a veteran receiving tight end.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could target Delanie Walker as a veteran receiving tight end. / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Even older and dealing with more injury concerns, Delanie Walker certainly wouldn't be an every-down option for the Bucs. With Gronk and Brate in town, however, that's not what they'd need him to be. A Pro Bowler in 2015, 2016 and 2017, Walker has played just eight games in the last two seasons. He's still averaged a reasonable 7.0 yards per target in that time, however.

3. Jeff Heuerman

Jeff Heuerman could be an interesting free agent target for the Buccaneers to replace O.J. Howard.
Jeff Heuerman could be an interesting free agent target for the Buccaneers to replace O.J. Howard. / Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

The 27-year-old Jeff Heuerman didn't really live up to his third-round pick status with the Denver Broncos, only playing more than half of the team's offensive snaps in one of his four seasons. He wasn't exactly playing in exciting offenses with the post-Peyton Manning Broncos, however, and a chance in scenery could be just what the 2015 NFL Draft's fourth-drafted tight end needs to finally live up to his potential.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.