Tom Brady showed his eagerness to throw the ball O.J. Howard’s way amid the tight end’s return to practice after a 2020 season-ending injury.
“I love having (Howard) back,” Brady said per Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times on Friday.
Howard put on a helmet for the first time at Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp on Friday and practiced in pads on Saturday. The Bucs quarterback found Howard on a “nice vertical sideline throw” for a “big gain” per Knight and Pewter Report.
Howard had a strong 2020 season going with 11 receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns before an Achilles tendon injury ended his season in Week 5. He showed improvement during the spring but didn’t practice right away when training camp opened on Sunday.
“He looks good,” Bucs head coach Bruce Arians said on Friday per Knight. “He’s ready to go.”
Brady now hopes to see another injured tight end, Cameron Brate, return soon, too.
“We’d love to have Cam back at some point, kind of see when everyone kind of comes together, what we can make of it,” Brady said per Knight. “Just kind of want to … communicate with the guys that you’re familiar with. And it also gives other guys opportunities, too.”
Tampa also got star wide receiver Antonio Brown going full speed again on Friday after being limited in practice amid his recovery from a knee injury in January per Knight. Brown caught a touchdown on Friday in practice and “dunked on the goal post” per ESPN’s Jenna Laine. He hauled in another touchdown from Brady in a two-minute drill on Saturday per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
“He’s coming along good; he’s getting in shape,” Arians said about Brown on Friday per Knight.
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Jordan Whitehead Returns
Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead missed last week’s Super Bowl celebration festivities but got back on the field at training camp in time for practicing in pads on Saturday.
The Bucs activated Whitehead from the COVID-19 reserve list on Friday after being sidelined on July 23 per Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper. Whitehead missed the Bucs’ visit to the Whitehouse on July 20 and Super Bowl ring ceremony on July 22.
Whitehead, who started all 16 games last season, made his presence felt on Saturday practicing with the first-stringers per Greg Auman of The Athletic. Whitehead broke up a pass from Brady to rookie wide receiver Jaelon Darden in the red zone per Laine.
The fourth-year safety also covered Howard on another incompletion by Brady per Laine.
In 2020, Whitehead posted 74 tackles, two interceptions, and two sacks. He injured his shoulder in the playoffs and had surgery in the offseason.
Whitehead has 219 career tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions in his three-year career. The Bucs selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Bucs Waive Backup Safety
With Whitehead back on the roster, the Bucs waived safety Augie Contressa on Friday per Alper.
Contressa joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent from Stony Brook in May. He was one of two Bucs defensive backs from Stony Brook — the other being Chris Cooper.
The Bucs signed Cooper on Sunday, which filled the final roster spot for training camp per Carmen Vitali of Buccaneers.com. Cooper previously participated on practice squads with four other NFL teams since 2018. The Indianapolis Colts originally signed him before he landed on practice squads for the Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, and Kansas City Chiefs.
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