Report: Bucs’ OJ Howard expected to be out 2-4 weeks with knee injury

OJ Howard was one of the reasons the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked so good on offense through the first three games of the regular season, but they may have to carry on without him for the next month.

Howard left Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with a knee injury, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that he is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain.

Buccaneers’ TE O.J. Howard sprained his MCL and is expected to miss 2-4 weeks, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 1, 2018

Howard, a former first-round pick out of Alabama, appeared poised for a breakout season after he caught just 26 passes in 14 games last year. Jameis Winston has seemingly had better chemistry with tight end Cameron Brate, so the loss may not sting as much now that Winston is expected to take back his starting job from Ryan Fitzpatrick coming out of the bye week.