The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed former Kansas City Chiefs safety Josh Shaw after placing O.J. Howard on injured reserve.
Former Kansas City Chiefs safety Josh Shaw has found a new home just days after being released with the news that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed Shaw to a deal.
Adam Schefter is reporting that the Bucs have decided to place young tight end O.J. Howard on injured reserve after he suffered “ankle and foot” injuries on Sunday against the New York Giants. Howard had to leave the game, but it was also made clear that he would not need surgery. Unfortunately, the damage done was enough to end his season with well over a month to go.
Howard was the team’s first round pick in last year’s draft and after a modest rookie year, Howard was in the middle of a nice breakout year in which he’d already set career highs across the board. In 10 games this season, Howard caught 34 passes for 565 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. His total yardage is good for fifth among all tight ends in the NFL this year (Travis Kelce is first), but his metrics suggest he’s been even better than that. He leads all tight ends with 16.6 yards/catch and in first down rate as 82% of his catches have resulted in moving the chains.
The Bucs filled Howard’s roster spot with Shaw, who cleared waivers but was then signed by Tampa Bay. He gives the team a versatile defensive back who can play special teams as well. The Chiefs signed Shaw in early October after he was released by the Cincinnati Bengals at the beginning of the regular season. Shaw played sparingly over the course of four games in K.C., putting up only four tackles in that span.
The Chiefs were able to cut Shaw loose after activating Daniel Sorensen from IR.