Pre-draft Coming out of college, Howard was projected as a first round pick by the majority of NFL experts and scouts. He received an invitation to the
Senior Bowl and chose to participate although he was already a first round prospect. He was able to raise his stock by having a significant week of practice for the Senior Bowl and was voted by a panel of scouts as Senior Bowl's top practice player of the week. Howard finished the game with four catches for 39 receiving yards, helping the South defeat the North 16–15. He attended the
NFL Combine and completed all the required combine and positional drills. At Alabama's
Pro Day, he chose to only run positional drills for the representatives and scouts. Howard was ranked the top tight end in the draft by
Sports Illustrated,
ESPN,
Pro Football Focus, NFLDraftScout.com, NFL analyst
Mike Mayock, and NFL analyst
Bucky Brooks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2017 season The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Howard in the first round (19th overall) of the
2017 NFL draft. He was only the second Alabama tight end selected in the first round in the common draft era, after
Ozzie Newsome in
1978. On May 22, 2017, Howard signed with the Buccaneers, a four-year deal worth $11 million featuring a $6.2 million signing bonus. Howard entered the regular season as one of the starting tight ends along with veteran
Cameron Brate. Due to
Hurricane Irma, the Buccaneers had to move their Week 1 game to later in the season. On September 17, 2017, in Week 2, Howard made his professional regular season debut and caught one reception for 17-yards in the Buccaneers 29–7 victory over the
Chicago Bears. In Week 4, against the New York Giants, he recorded a 58-yard reception for the first touchdown of his career. In Week 7, against the
Buffalo Bills, he had a breakout game with six receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns. He was placed on
injured reserve on December 20, 2017. He started the first 14 games his rookie season, finishing with 26 receptions for 432 yards and six touchdowns.
2018 season In Week 2, against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Howard recorded a 75-yard touchdown reception from quarterback
Ryan Fitzpatrick as part of a 96-yard performance in the victory. In Week 9, against the
Carolina Panthers, he recorded two receiving touchdowns in the loss. On November 20, 2018, he was placed on injured reserve after suffering foot and ankle injuries in Week 11. He finished the season with 34 receptions for 565 yards and five touchdowns in ten games and eight starts.
2019 season Howard played in 14 games and recorded 34 receptions for 459 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 2019 season.
2020 season On April 29, 2020, the Buccaneers exercised the fifth-year option on Howard's contract, worth $6.013 million guaranteed for the 2021 season. Howard recorded three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown during the 38–31 win over the
Los Angeles Chargers in Week 4. He suffered a torn Achilles in the game, and was placed on injured reserve on October 6, 2020. He would go on to win his first Super Bowl ring with the team despite him not playing in the game due to injury as Tampa Bay beat the
Kansas City Chiefs by a score of 31–9 in
Super Bowl LV.
2021 season Howard played in 17 games and recorded 14 receptions for 135 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 2021 season.
Buffalo Bills On March 16, 2022, Howard signed a one-year contract with the
Buffalo Bills. He was released on August 30, 2022, as part of final roster cuts.
Houston Texans On September 2, 2022, Howard signed with the
Houston Texans. In the Texans' 2022 regular season opener, Howard had two receiving touchdowns in the 20–20 tie to the
Indianapolis Colts.
Las Vegas Raiders On March 20, 2023, Howard signed with the
Las Vegas Raiders. He was released on August 1, 2023. ==Career statistics==