Johnathan "Bug" Howard (born November 28, 1994) is an American football tight end for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at North Carolina.

Early years

Howard, who was given the nickname "Bug" by his grandmother when he was a toddler, attended

Wilcox County High School Wilcox County High School is a public high school in Rochelle, Georgia. United States. It is part of the Wilcox County School District. Student culture Historically, students organized separate parties classified as proms; black and white st ...

in Rochelle, Georgia.

College career

Howard caught 22 passes in his freshman season at North Carolina. Howard scored the first touchdown of the 2015 college football season, his junior year, when he caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Marquise Williams in their game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. In his four-year career at UNC, Howard played in 46 games. He caught 146 passes for 2,048 yards and scored 18 touchdowns. He had just four dropped passes in four seasons at UNC.

Statistics

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

After going undrafted in the

2017 NFL Draft The 2017 NFL Draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

, Howard was signed as a free agent by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. He was waived by the Colts at the end of the 2017 preseason.

Cleveland Browns

On September 26, 2017, Howard was signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns on January 1, 2018. He was waived by the Browns on April 12, 2018.

Carolina Panthers

On May 14, 2018, Howard signed with the Carolina Panthers. He was waived on August 31, 2018, as part of final roster cuts.

Atlanta Legends

On November 9, 2018, Howard signed with the

Atlanta Legends The Atlanta Legends were a professional American football franchise based in Atlanta, Georgia, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their h ...

of the

Alliance of American Football The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...

(AAF) for the 2019 season.

Denver Broncos

After the AAF ceased operations in April 2019, Howard signed with the Denver Broncos on May 13, 2019, following a mini-camp tryout. He was placed on injured reserve on August 21, 2019. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement on August 30, 2019. He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 4, 2019. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Broncos on December 31, 2019. He was waived on April 27, 2020. Howard joined the Alphas of The Spring League for its 2020 Fall season.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 14, 2020, Howard signed with the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021.

Buffalo Bills

On July 30, 2021, Howard signed with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

. He was waived on August 24, 2021.

Philadelphia Stars

Howard was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League in the 18th round of the

2022 USFL draft The 2022 USFL Draft, also known as the 2022 USFL Player Selection Meeting, was the player selection process to fill the rosters of the eight teams for the 2022 USFL season. The draft was held on February 22–23, 2022, with results released throug ...

. He was placed on the "did not report" list on April 1, but joined the team for training camp three days later. He signed a contract with the team on April 7.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On July 29, 2022, Howard signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was waived/injured on August 23 and placed on injured reserve. He was released on August 30.

Philadelphia Stars (second stint)

On February 8, 2023, Howard signed with the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL) for his second stint with the team. He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 19, 2023.

Statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Bug Living people 1994 births People from Rochelle, Georgia Players of American football from Georgia (U.S. state) North Carolina Tar Heels football players Indianapolis Colts players Cleveland Browns players Carolina Panthers players Atlanta Legends players Denver Broncos players The Spring League players Jacksonville Jaguars players Buffalo Bills players Philadelphia Stars (2022) players