The title of this post may seem sarcastic to some, and they wouldn’t be wrong to have that initial thought. After all, O.J. Howard was supposed to have a breakout year in his third season, much like the one we saw Chris Godwin have.

Unfortunately, Howard struggled to find a niche in Bruce Arians’ offense, at least when it comes to personal statistics. Howard had just 34 receptions for 459 yards and one touchdown. His best catch of the year didn’t even come during an NFL game, but rather an MLB game. Howard even found himself in Arians’ doghouse early in the season for his lackluster play.

But, according to ESPN, Howard did a great job in one particular area this year. In their 2019 advanced statistics awards, ESPN said that according to the stats, Howard was the league’s best pass-blocking tight end.

“Bucs coach Bruce Arians never relied on Howard all that much as a receiver this season. But the young tight end did play a role in the passing game with a 98% PBWR (pass block win rate).”

That’s a big accomplishment for sure, but Howard probably wishes he could have been used more as a pass catcher than a blocker. Still, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider Arians said this about his tight ends with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2015:

“We pay Larry (Fitzgerald) and those guys too much money to throw it to the tight ends. They’re here to block.”

Looks like Howard did well in that regard at least.