The Las Vegas Raiders have added much-needed aid to their tight ends room.
O.J. Howard signed with the Raiders following a visit on Monday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the deal. The team later announced the signing.
The former first-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers spent 2022 with the Houston Texans, catching 10 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
The Raiders are also set to host free-agent tight end Austin Hooper on a visit on Wednesday. Hooper recorded 41 catches for 444 yards with two touchdowns last season in Tennessee.
The former Alabama product entered the NFL with enticing athleticism but never quite put it all together in Tampa Bay. He reached a career-high 565 yards on 34 catches in 10 games in his second season. He suffered an Achilles injury in 2020 after just four weeks. In five years with the Bucs, he generated 119 catches for 1,737 yards and 15 touchdowns.
The Raiders were in the market for TE help after trading Darren Waller to the New York Giants last week. Foster Moreau continues to be a free agent and has reportedly been meeting with other teams.
Howard joins a tight ends room in Vegas with Jesper Horsted and Cole Fotheringham. Howard adds a veteran presence, but it's still a position the Raiders could look to a deep draft class to shore up if they don't sign Hooper.
