He played college football at Northern Iowa, and was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2010.

[13] On August 23, 2012, head coach Rex Ryan made the decision to bench Wayne Hunter, giving the starting Right Tackle job to Howard.

[15] On September 7, 2014, Howard made his first career start at right guard, as well as his Oakland Raiders debut against the New York Jets.

[20] On November 9, 2014, against the Denver Broncos, Howard and his offensive line that allowed zero sacks for the fourth time in the 2014 season.

[23] On October 11, 2015, in a game against the Denver Broncos, Howard attempted a chop block on Denver Broncos' linebacker Von Miller but missed, allowing Miller to sack Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, forcing Carr to fumble and changing the momentum of a game that ultimately ended in a Raiders loss.

[25] On August 4, 2017, Howard signed a three-year, $16 million contract with the Ravens after significant injuries to the team's offensive line during training camp.

[29] Howard was signed by the Washington Redskins on November 5, 2018, following season ending injuries to starting offensive linemen Brandon Scherff, and Shawn Lauvao.

[31] Howard has two brothers, Marcel and Aaron, who both played college football at Iowa State, and two sisters Amy and Ashley.