Could tight end O.J. Howard be playing Friday to earn a Bills roster spot?

ORCHARD PARK - When Buffalo Bills training camp began one month ago at St. John Fisher University, this is what we knew for certain about the tight end position: Dawson Knox was the undeniable starter.

And one thing we thought would be irrefutable was that Knox’s primary backup would be free agent acquisition O.J. Howard, a player who, in addition to joining Knox in two-tight end formations, would even get snaps as the lone tight end in order to give Knox a breather.

However, as the Bills get ready for their preseason finale Friday night at Carolina, it’s possible that Howard could be playing to save his roster spot.

The former 2017 first-round pick of the Buccaneers signed a one-year contract with Buffalo in the offseason hoping to revive a career that was derailed by a 2020 Achilles injury, and then the presence of Rob Gronkowski in Tampa Bay last year.

Buffalo, with it’s high-powered offense driven by Josh Allen, seemed like a perfect place for Howard to get back on track, but it really hasn’t happened. As the regular season opener against the Rams gets closer and closer, we’re still waiting for Howard to show something in practice and in the practice games.

Meanwhile, two unheralded players, Tommy Sweeney and Quintin Morris, have been flashing ever since that first workout back in Pittsford.

“I think O.J. has been doing a heck of a job and those three guys are all working their tail off and really putting them in a position to make things very tough on all the decision makers here,” offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey said Tuesday.

In the first preseason game against the Colts, coach Sean McDermott kept almost all of his starters out and, as expected, Howard started at tight end. What wasn’t expected is that Howard was still playing late in the game - highly unusual for a player who had started preseason game No. 1 - and on 23 snaps he was targeted just once and did not make a catch.

Last week against Denver, the red light began blinking again. With Knox missing the game due to the death of his brother, the assumption was that Howard would start in his place. He didn’t. Morris played five of the six snaps on the opening drive, Allen’s only one, and Sweeney and fullback/tight end Reggie Gilliam also played one snap on that possession.

“Honestly, it’s just the way it panned out and the way the game was called in that first drive,” Dorsey said of Howard’s absence. “We were trying to mix and match guys and give them opportunities in different personnel groupings, so just based off of that one drive … the personnel groupings that were called weren’t O.J.’s.”

Sorry, but that seems like a problem. If he’s supposed to be the backup tight end who you’ve committed more than $3 million in salary to, why wouldn’t he be involved in those personnel groupings unless he hasn’t earned those reps?

“It’s no fault of O.J.’s, it’s just the way the game was honestly called,” Dorsey said. “My biggest goal was to make sure Josh felt comfortable and get him in a rhythm, first and foremost.”

By game’s end, Howard was on the field for 33 snaps, the most of any tight end (for that matter, any skill position player) and he caught three passes for 16 yards and a touchdown. Sweeney played 25 snaps and was not targeted, while Morris played 24 snaps and caught two passes for 14 yards.

One reason he played so much, you can assume, is that the Bills need to see something from him. But could it be that they were trying to showcase Howard for a possible trade? After all, Cody Ford started the first game at right guard, played 27 snaps in the second game, and was traded Monday to Arizona.

Cutting Howard would be cost prohibitive because the Bills would be on the hook for $3.2 million of dead cap space, but if they can trade him, they could at least peddle his $1.9 million base salary. It’s something that bears watching.

Sweeney is one of the most beloved players in the locker room, a 2019 seventh-round draft pick who had his career interrupted in 2020 by COVID and a case of myocarditis. He battled back to make the team last year, and he is one of those glue players McDermott often refers to who are essential to team chemistry and culture.

“I think (this is) the strongest camp I’ve been around, what he’s been able to do,” Allen said. “Tommy, he’s one of the smartest guys in the room. He knows the playbook inside and out, knows where he needs to be and … in the locker room, everybody loves him.”

Dorsey loves him, too.

“It’s a real testament to Tommy with how much he’s worked and everything that we’ve kind of challenged him with … he’s really responded and really taking that next step to continue to grow as a player,” Dorsey said. “I think he’s done a tremendous job in terms of that, in terms of his growth and his desire to get better and really excited with the strides he has made. I mean, it’s really substantial.”

Morris came to the Bills in 2021 as an undrafted free agent out of Bowling Green and spent most of the season on the practice squad.

The 6-foot-2, 243-pounder was formerly a receiver (he had 125 receptions for 1,529 yards and 13 TDs at Bowling Green), so his ball-catching skills are apparent, but he has also shown improvement as a blocker which is an imperative skill for any Bills’ backup tight end.

“He’s athletic, and when you turn the film on, you see he’s able to bend, can block in line, he can flex out and do some things as a receiver as you saw this past weekend as well,” McDermott said. “I thought he blocked well at times - he got the penalty there down in the red zone (against Denver), I think it was before half that cost us a little bit there. But he’ll learn from that and he continues to come every day prepared to work and with a good attitude.”

Allen probably did not expect to be throwing balls to Morris in camp - Case Keenum and Matt Barkley figured to be doing that - but Morris has earned some first-team reps.

“A guy that just works hard who has come into this organization and everybody loves him based on how he carries himself, how he practices, him in the locker room. He’s just a vibrant guy to be around,” Allen said. “When you do that and then you continue to make plays in practice and in the game, typically good things happen. He’s fighting really hard right now.”

If the Bills keep Howard and then try to get Sweeney and/or Morris onto the practice squad, it could be difficult. The team to watch, in particular are the Brian Daboll/Joe Schoen New York Giants, not only because they know both players, but because their tight end depth chart is a wasteland. They currently list rookie fourth-round pick Daniel Bellinger as their starter.

As is often the case, special teams ability could play a factor in who makes it and who doesn’t and while Howard gives the Bills nothing in that area, both Sweeney and Morris are involved in the kicking game.

“If you’re not starting you need to be good on special teams and if it’s close, we’re going to err towards a guy who’s a dominant three- or four-phase special team player,” general manager Brandon Beane said. “Sean and I are very much in line that we want to be good on fourth down and in all the phases of teams.”

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Could O.J. Howard be playing Friday to earn a Bills roster spot?