Buffalo Bills sign TE Bug Howard

The Buffalo Bills added to their tight end group on Friday, signing Johnathan “Bug” Howard to a contract. Terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed.

Howard, who is either 26 (according to Wikipedia and his official college bio) or 28 (according to the Bills’ release) entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie following the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then, he’s been with quite a few teams for tryout purposes, but he has yet to make an NFL roster. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent, and he’s spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Jacksonville Jaguars. In 2019, Howard was also a member of the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football (AAF).

A collegiate wide receiver, Howard caught 146 passes for 2,048 yards and 18 touchdowns over the course of 56 games for the University of North Carolina. He converted to tight end in 2019 during his stint with the Broncos. Last December, he signed as a tight end with the Jaguars’ practice squad, though the team did not offer him a reserve/futures contract at the conclusion of the season.

This signing brings Buffalo’s active roster to 89 players, giving them two open roster spots. With Jerry Hughes currently on the non-football injury list and both Dion Dawkins and Ike Boettger on the reserve/COVID-19 list, that means the Bills will have to release someone when all three players return.