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Rob Gronkowski is back in the NFL. He’s joining Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, as the New England Patriots will receive a fourth-round pick in exchange for moving Gronkowski and a seventh-round pick to the Buccaneers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Somehow, it doesn’t feel as shocking as it should.
But there is a very tangible way this could benefit the 49ers: O.J. Howard and/or Cameron Brate could be available. The Buccaneers now have Gronkowski, Howard and Cameron Brate as their three tight end options.
It was reported by Mike Silver of NFL Network at the outset of free agency that the 49ers were among the teams interested in former Falcons, now-Browns tight end Austin Hooper, who would have made the most elite tight end pairing in the NFL since the Patriots had Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez. The 49ers and Kyle Shanahan have also shown interest in free agent tight ends Geoff Swaim and Jordan Reed, and have talked to tight end prospects like Hunter Bryant and Devin Asiasi.
Shanahan wants a reliable No. 2 behind George Kittle, and with the zone run scheme the 49ers employ, there’s no harm in having another great tight end. In fact, it might almost become a necessity, just like how the 49ers found out having four running backs was more necessity than luxury.
So if Shanahan wants to find a viable No. 2, now is the time. Howard is an athletic phenom, coming off the worst season of his career with 34 receptions for 459 yards and a single touchdown. Below are his absurd measurables coming out of the draft.
But Howard wasn’t abysmal last season, he was just used as a blocker, more than 50 percent of the time, per Pro Football Focus. According to ESPN’s statistics, Howard had a 98 percent pass block win rate, ranked the best in the NFL. This was by design for the Buccaneers to run the ball more often, however, Howard is not viewed as an above average run or pass blocker. He’s an athletic receiving threat with room to grow as a blocker (which the 49ers can help with).
The question is, do the Buccaneers want to part with Howard? And what would it take to get him? As low as his value may have been coming off last season (and he apparently got into trouble with head coach Bruce Arians for his performance), every team in the league may be seeing this as their chance to get him. He was a former 19th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Would a third-round pick get the job done? A fourth? Maybe a 2021 third and a seventh in this year’s draft?
One issue for the Buccaneers is that a third-round pick might be too weighty an asking price when teams can currently draft a player who’s under contract for cheaper for the next four years (Howard makes $3.53 million this year). The Buccaneers are reportedly likely to pick up his fifth-year option, but if he’s being traded, that decision would probably be left to the trading team.
But if it’s about accruing offensive weapons, Tampa Bay might opt to keep him, especially given Gronkowski’s injury history and time away from the sport.
Obviously, the 49ers don’t have a third-round pick and won’t until they inevitably trade down in the draft on Thursday night. They don’t have many valuable, tradeable assets (at least that they want to part with), so the equation for them to get Howard would probably necessitate waiting a few days.
Assuming there are other teams looking to acquire Howard and willing to outbid the 49ers, or the Buccaneers aren’t willing to trade him, Cameron Brate (makes $4.25 million this year) could be another option. He’s extraordinarily good in red zone situations, but is limited elsewhere. He’s viewed as an okay blocker. He’s cuttable after this season, and probably would be, given the amount of money left on his deal.
If the Buccaneers don’t trade any of their tight ends, they’ll be paying about $20 million (second in the NFL, trailing only the Chicago Bears) to their tight ends (they also have Antony Auclair, Jordan Leggett and Tanner Hudson on the roster).
But that’s not really the mold it seems like Shanahan is pursuing, and again, there are cheaper, younger options in the draft, as KNBR examined here. Howard makes the most sense, and if the 49ers can’t find the value they want in the trade, they’ll look towards the draft.