Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts and O.J. Howard need each other

Jalen Hurts wasn’t playing with a full deck for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.

Now granted, his cupboards were hardly bare, as he was gifted on the better offensive lines, an elite running game, and three good pass catchers in Dallas Goedert, DeVonta Smith, and either Zach Ertz or Quez Watkins, depending on the game, but when it came to offensive depth, the Eagles just didn’t have the personnel needed to take full advantage of Nick Sirianni’s playbook.

Could that change in 2022? You bet, the Eagles will all but surely add one, maybe even two more wide receivers, and could use a reliable TE2 since Tyree Jackson is likely to miss most of the next season due to a January torn ACL.

But who should the team target? I know folks have collectively talked about some of the bigger available names, the Drake Londons, the Mike Williams, and the Allen Robinsons of the world, but every player a team signs can’t be on an eight-figure contract. No, the best teams secure solid contributors on buy-low contracts in the hopes of reinvigorating their careers and potentially landing a long-term performer on an initial discount.

Fortunately for the Philadelphia Eagles, there is such a player on the market this year who is not only expected to sign a deal well below his expected cap hit from a few years back but who has a pre-existing relationship with Jalen Hurts. I hope you’re in the mood for some O.J. because we’re turning our attention to the Sunshine State.

O.J. Howard and Jalen Hurts should re-team up with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Coming out of college, O.J. Howard was supposed to be it.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared him to Julius Thomas, Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated compared him to Travis Kelce, and, after tearing it up in Tuscaloosa for his final two seasons of Crimson Tide action, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers clearly liked his game enough to select him 19th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, ahead of players like Tre’Davious White, T.J. Watt, and Ryan Ramczyk.

Over his first three years in Tampa Bay, Howard looked like a solid enough selection. While he never made a Pro Bowl or came particularly close to crossing the century mark as a pass-catcher, Howard averaged a solid 485.3 yards on 31.3 catches per season to go with 12 total touchdowns. Had Howard taken a step forward in 2020, the Bucs were probably set at tight end for the foreseeable future –  as even now, Howard is only 27 – but then a funny thing happened: Tom Brady left New England for Tampa Bay and Howard basically disappeared.

I know, crazy, right? Brady is known for being a tight end guy, and yet his former first-round draftee largely fell out of the rotation? Well, what else did you expect to happen when Rob Gronkowski hung up his WWE 24/7 belt to come out of retirement for two final NFL seasons?

With his favorite target back in the fold, Howard and Cameron Brate duked it out for the second spot on Bruce Arians’ depth chart, and as improbable as it may sound, the UDFA from Harvard beat out the former Alabama first-rounder. After putting up 146 yards on 11 catches over the first four games of the 2020 NFL season, Howard suffered a torn Achilles and missed the remainder of the Bucs’ Super Bowl season. While he was able to return in 2021, appearing in every regular season game for the first time in his career, Howard only caught 14 balls – six of which came in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles alone – and had the fewest yards, yards-per-game, and touchdowns of his career.

If ever there was a player who needed a change of scenery, it would be Howard, especially since the Buccaneers have had three of their premier players retire and count. If he can land in an advantageous situation, it might just be the catalyst needed to unlock the latent potential that hasn’t been on display since 2019. And if now? Well, Howard will surely get a third chance but not very many more.

Enter the Philadelphia Eagles, who just so happen to employ Howard’s final college quarterback, Jalen Hurts.

That’s right, back when QB1 had longer hair, wore the number 2, and was considered a changing of the guard under center for the Alabama Crimson Tide, Howard was one of Hurts’ favorite weapons, serving has in interior safety blanket paired up with Calvin Ridley and Ardarius Stewart. Howard hauled in 45 balls for 595 yards and three touchdowns off the arm of Hurts in their lone season together, including a 68-yard touchdown against Clemson in the 2017 national championship game, and remained close after, with Philadelphia’s quarterback showing love for his upperclassman heading into the Wildcard round of last season’s playoffs.

Considering Spotrac projects Howard to make a little over $2.2 million on a one-year deal in 2022, bringing the former teammates back together to see if they can rekindle the magic feels fairly obvious and could be the sort of buy-low move that hasn’t exactly worked out for the Eagles over the past few seasons. Outside of Zach Ertz, who is technically a free agent and could theoretically re-sign with the Eagles or one of the ex-Indianapolis Colts who could wriggle free from their 2021 team, Howard might just be the easiest fit on the market.

Who knows, maybe O.J. Howard is washed. Maybe Tom Brady didn’t want to throw to him for a reason, and his NFL career will be over before his 30th birthday. If that’s the case, his career will undoubtedly look like a disappointment, though not completely a disappointment of his own making. But with a serious need for professional pass catchers and no clear option at tight end behind Dallas Goedert, the Philadelphia Eagles would be wise to key in on Howard as a potential signee, as his connection with Jalen Hurts at Alabama was something special and bringing the band back together could be beneficial for all parties involved.