Bengals Expected To Sign TE O.J. Howard

According to Ian Rapoport, the Bengals are hosting TE O.J. Howard for a visit today and are expected to sign him to a contract. 

Howard was just cut by the Bills on Tuesday despite signing a deal that included a few million in guarantees. Cincinnati is thin at tight end depth, however. 

Howard, 27, is a former first-round pick of the Buccaneers back in 2017. He signed a four-year, $11.094 million contract that included a $6.208 million signing bonus.

Howard’s contract includes a fifth-year option that the Buccaneers picked up for the 2021 season. He wound up signing a one-year, $3.5 million deal worth up to $5 million with the Bills for 2022, but was cut coming out of the preseason. 

In 2021, Howard appeared in all 17 games for the Buccaneers and caught 14 passes for 135 yards receiving and one touchdown.