Bug Howard Explained

Bug Howard
Position:Tight end
Birth Date:28 November 1994
Birth Place:Rochelle, Georgia, U.S.
Height Ft:6
Height In:5
Weight Lbs:228
High School:Wilcox County
(Rochelle, Georgia)
College:North Carolina (2013–2016)
Undraftedyear:2017
Pastteams:
Pfr:HowaBu00

Johnathan "Bug" Howard[1] (born November 28, 1994) is an American football tight end who is a free agent. He played college football at North Carolina.

Early life

Howard, who was given the nickname "Bug" by his grandmother when he was a toddler, attended Wilcox County High School in Rochelle, Georgia.[2]

College career

Howard caught 22 passes in his freshman season at North Carolina.[3] 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.[4]

In his four-year career at UNC, Howard played in 46 games. He caught 146 passes for 2,048 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.[5] He had just four dropped passes in four seasons at UNC.[6]

Statistics

Year TeamGP Rec Yds Avg TD
2013North Carolina10 22 278 12.6 4
2014North Carolina12 42 455 10.8 2
2015North Carolina12 29 488 16.8 4
2016North Carolina12 53 827 15.6 8
Career46 146 2,048 14.0 18

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

After going undrafted in the 2017 NFL draft, Howard was signed as a free agent by the Indianapolis Colts.[7] He was waived by the Colts at the end of the 2017 preseason.[8]

Cleveland Browns

On September 26, 2017, Howard was signed to the Cleveland Browns' practice squad.[9] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns on January 1, 2018.[10] He was waived by the Browns on April 12, 2018.[11]

Carolina Panthers

On May 14, 2018, Howard signed with the Carolina Panthers.[12] He was waived on August 31, 2018, as part of final roster cuts.[13]

Atlanta Legends

On November 9, 2018, Howard signed with the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) for the 2019 season.[14]

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.[15] He was placed on injured reserve on August 21, 2019.[16] 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.[17] He was waived on April 27, 2020.[18]

Howard joined the Alphas of The Spring League for its 2020 Fall season.[19]

Jacksonville Jaguars

On December 14, 2020, Howard signed with the practice squad of the Jacksonville Jaguars.[20] His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 11, 2021.[21]

Buffalo Bills

On July 30, 2021, Howard signed with the Buffalo Bills.[22] He was waived on August 24, 2021.[23]

Philadelphia Stars

Howard was drafted by the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL) in the 18th round of the 2022 USFL draft.[24] He was placed on the "did not report" list on April 1,[25] but joined the team for training camp three days later.[26] He signed a contract with the team on April 7.[27]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On July 29, 2022, Howard signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[28] He was waived/injured on August 23 and placed on injured reserve.[29] He was released on August 30.

Philadelphia Stars (second stint)

On February 8, 2023, Howard signed with the Stars for his second stint with the team.[30] He was transferred to the team's inactive list on March 19, 2023.[31] The Stars folded when the XFL and USFL merged to create the United Football League (UFL).[32]

Statistics

Year! rowspan="2"
TeamGamesReceivingFumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
PHI10 8 30 371 12.4 41 4 0 0
Career 10 8 30 371 12.4 41 4 0 0

Notes and References

  1. Web site: UNC Football: Get to Know Johnathan 'Bug' Howard. YouTube.com. UNC Tar Heels Athletics. September 30, 2017.
  2. Web site: Indianapolis Colts: Bug Howard. https://web.archive.org/web/20171001031434/http://www.colts.com/team/roster/bug-howard/ee587626-5bbd-4912-b1c7-bc9698d7fc71/. dead. October 1, 2017. Colts.com. Indianapolis Colts. September 26, 2017.
  3. News: Ferenchick. Matt. Tar Heels NFL Draft Profile: Bug Howard. September 30, 2017. Tar Heel Blog. April 16, 2017.
  4. News: Fornelli. Tom. UNC's Bug Howard scores 1st TD of 2015 college football season. September 30, 2017. CBSSports.com. September 3, 2015.
  5. News: Bug Howard, North Carolina, Wide Receiver. September 30, 2017. 247Sports.com.
  6. News: Zierlein. Lance. NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Bug Howard. September 30, 2017. NFL.com.
  7. News: Bondurant. Tanya. North Carolina wide receiver Bug Howard signs with Indianapolis Colts as undrafted free agent. September 30, 2017. Tar Heel Blog. April 29, 2017.
  8. News: Ites. Andrew. Colts Announce Full List of Roster Cuts. September 30, 2017. Horseshoe Heroes. September 2, 2017.
  9. News: Browns sign WR Bug Howard to practice squad. https://web.archive.org/web/20180408011403/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-sign-WR-Bug-Howard-to-practice-squad/5c415f65-1d73-44d7-9a33-ec44fac66dfe. dead. April 8, 2018. September 30, 2017. ClevelandBrowns.com. September 26, 2017.
  10. Web site: Browns sign eight players. https://web.archive.org/web/20180408233929/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-sign-eight-players/20a31eb8-ce5e-4c5a-b057-0175ee839419. dead. April 8, 2018. ClevelandBrowns.com. January 1, 2018.
  11. Web site: Browns release 7 players. https://web.archive.org/web/20180616103806/http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-release-7-players/66bb8ce1-785f-4839-8fd5-b35fc0c21fd4. dead. June 16, 2018. ClevelandBrowns.com. April 12, 2018.
  12. Web site: Panthers sign four tryouts, waive Zack Sanchez. https://web.archive.org/web/20180516103045/http://www.panthers.com/news/article-2/Panthers-sign-four-tryouts-waive-Zack-Sanchez/2d9e6a71-6e1e-41eb-a432-e5f9dde06198. dead. May 16, 2018. Henson, Max. Panthers.com. May 14, 2018.
  13. Web site: Panthers announce first wave of cuts. Henson, Max. Panthers.com. August 31, 2018.
  14. Web site: 32 Players Sign New Contracts with the Alliance. AAF.com. November 9, 2018. November 9, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181110120134/https://aaf.com/32-players-sign-new-contracts-with-the-alliance/. November 10, 2018. dead.
  15. News: DiLalla, Aric . Broncos sign four players as OTAs begin . DenverBroncos.com . May 13, 2019 . May 13, 2019.
  16. Web site: Broncos place Horace Richardson, Bug Howard on injured reserve. DiLalla, Aric. DenverBroncos.com. August 21, 2019.
  17. Web site: Broncos sign 15 players to future contracts, claim NT Joel Heath off waivers. DenverBroncos.com. December 31, 2019. January 1, 2020. January 1, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200101222437/https://www.denverbroncos.com/news/broncos-sign-15-players-to-future-contracts-claim-nt-joel-heath-off-waivers. dead.
  18. Web site: Broncos waive four players following 2020 NFL Draft. DiLalla, Aric. DenverBroncos.com. April 27, 2020.
  19. News: Keatley, Josh . Former Browns to watch in The Spring League . USAToday.com . October 27, 2020 . November 3, 2020.
  20. News: Johnson, James . Jags sign TE Bug Howard, DE Aaron Patrick along with other transactions . USAToday.com . December 14, 2020 . January 27, 2021.
  21. News: Five have contract expire . FantasyGuru.com . January 11, 2021 . February 17, 2021.
  22. News: Bills sign tight end Bug Howard . BuffaloBills.com . July 30, 2021 . July 30, 2021.
  23. Web site: Five players released by the Bills to reach the 80-man roster limit. BuffaloBills.com. August 24, 2021.
  24. USFLStars . Welcome to Philly, @ThaBugMan! #USFLDraft . 1496581007176261633 . February 23, 2022 . May 7, 2022.
  25. USFLStars . Some roster updates for your Philadelphia Stars . 1509864942895190017 . April 1, 2022 . May 7, 2022.
  26. USFLStars . Monday roster updates . 1511113209419223040 . April 4, 2022 . May 7, 2022.
  27. USFLStars . Roster updates . 1512198553497612302 . April 7, 2022 . May 7, 2022.
  28. Web site: Bucs Sign TE Bug Howard. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. July 29, 2022. July 29, 2022. July 29, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220729140946/https://www.buccaneers.com/news/bucs-sign-tight-end-bug-howard-waive-sterling-hofrichter-roster-moves. dead.
  29. Web site: Bug Howard Waived as Bucs Get to 80. Smith, Scott. Buccaneers.com. August 23, 2022.
  30. USFLStars . Free Agent Signings . 1623370905912213506 . February 8, 2023 . February 8, 2023.
  31. USFLStars . Transferred to Inactive List . 1637597991262638081. March 19, 2023 . March 20, 2023.
  32. Web site: Seifert . Kevin . January 1, 2024 . Newly formed United Football League sets 8 markets, tabs coaches . January 15, 2024 . ESPN.com.