Bills surprising cut sends team the right message
The Buffalo Bills released Tight End O.J. Howard on Tuesday. The move is a surprising one given the fact that he was just signed this offseason to a deal that included $3.19M guaranteed. However, this is the right call for Buffalo. Howard – who was considered an athletic freak and one of the best tight […]
The Buffalo Bills released Tight End O.J. Howard on Tuesday. The move is a surprising one given the fact that he was just signed this offseason to a deal that included $3.19M guaranteed.
However, this is the right call for Buffalo. Howard – who was considered an athletic freak and one of the best tight end prospects in recent memory when he got to the NFL – found himself at the bottom of the depth chart this offseason.
Even in the preseason finale, Howard played deep into the fourth quarter while Tommy Sweeney and Quintin Morris played on the same offense Josh Allen did. To put it simply, the Bills are deciding to keep only three tight ends on the roster. And Howard is not in the top 3.
O.J. Howard got flat-out outplayed in the offseason. Morris – who signed with Buffalo as a UDFA in 2021 – has raised his stock significantly this offseason. Even if the competition was tight, Morris' upside could've been the deciding factor here.
But that's what Bills Mafia should seriously like about this cut. Sean McDermott's coaching staff is sending the right message. In today's NFL, even forward-thinking teams that implement analytics in their on-field decisions fall into the same old traps when putting the roster together.
Here, the Bills are shoving the "sunk cost fallacy" aside and making a tough roster move based on what matters most. Meritocracy. Who played better? Sweeney and Morris. Period. For a team with insanely high expectations, that's all that matters.
Also, FB Reggie Gilliam factors into this as a versatile player for the Bills' offense. The 25-year-old can provide Ken Dorsey with a FB that can play a little bit of tight end. Howard changes very little – if anything – about what we expect from Josh Allen and company.
Featured image via Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
