{{short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1993)}} {{Infobox CFL biography | name = Justin Howell | team = | image = 2023, 21, Justin Howell.jpg | image_upright = 1 | caption = Howell with the Ottawa Redblacks in 2023 | status = Active | import = no | position1 = Defensive back | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|12|4}} | birth_place = Bradford, Ontario, Canada | number = | CIS = Carleton | high_school = Bradford | Height_ft = 5 | Height_in = 11 | Weight_lbs = 199 | CFLDraftedYear = 2018 | CFLDraftedRound = 7 | CFLDraftedPick = 55 | playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|2018|2025}} | playing_team1 = Ottawa Redblacks | career_highlights = | CFL = justin-howell/164092/ }} '''Justin Howell''' (born December 4, 1993) is a Canadian professional football defensive back. He most recently played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played U Sports football for the Carleton Ravens.
==Amateur career== Howell first began his interest in football in grade 10 while attending Bradford District High School.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bradfordtoday.ca/local-news/hometown-cfl-star-returns-to-bradford-for-carrot-fest-1020423|title=Hometown CFL star returns to Bradford for Carrot Fest|publisher=Bradfordtoday.com|date=August 20, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ottawalife.com/article/former-carleton-raven-prepares-for-rookie-year-with-redblacks|title=Former Carleton Raven Prepares For Rookie Year With Redblacks|publisher=Ottawalife.com|date=June 7, 2018}}</ref> He then played for the Carleton Ravens from 2014 to 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://goravens.ca/news/2019/09/redblacks-safety-justin-howell-will-always-be-a-raven-at-heart/|title=Redblacks Safety Justin Howell will always be a Raven at heart|publisher=Carleton Ravens|date=September 24, 2019}}</ref>
==Professional career== Howell was drafted by the Ottawa Redblacks with the 55th overall selection, in the seventh round, of the 2018 CFL draft and signed with the team on May 16, 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2018/05/16/redblacks-sign-2018-draft-picks/|title=Redblacks sign 2018 draft picks|date=May 16, 2018|publisher=Ottawa Redblacks|access-date=January 16, 2021}}</ref> He made the team following training camp and played in his first professional game on June 22, 2018, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2018 season opening game. He earned his first start at safety on August 11, 2018, against the Montreal Alouettes. Howell played in 13 regular season games and recorded seven defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles while missing five games due to injury. He then played in his first post-season game in the East Final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he recorded a career-high six defensive tackles in a win that sent him to his first Grey Cup game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/games/2549/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-ottawa-redblacks/#/boxscore|title=Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Ottawa Redblacks boxscore|publisher=Canadian Football League|date=November 18, 2021}}</ref> However, he recorded no stats as the Redblacks lost the 106th Grey Cup to the Calgary Stampeders.<ref name=playbyplay>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/games/2551/ottawa-redblacks-vs-calgary-stampeders/|title=Play-by-Play, 106th Grey Cup |date=November 25, 2018|publisher=Canadian Football League|access-date=January 16, 2021}}</ref>
In 2019, Howell played in 14 regular season games and had 14 defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles. He also recorded his first career quarterback sack on September 7, 2019, against the Toronto Argonauts. He signed a one-year contract extension with the Redblacks on January 14, 2020, but with the 2020 CFL season cancelled, it was announced on December 18, 2020, that he had signed another one-year extension with the team.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/cfl/ottawa-redblacks-re-sign-canadian-defensive-back-justin-howell/|title=Ottawa Redblacks re-sign Canadian defensive back Justin Howell|publisher=Sportsnet|date=January 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2020/12/18/redblacks-re-sign-trio-canadians/|title=Redblacks re-sign trio of Canadians|publisher=Ottawa Redblacks|date=December 18, 2020}}</ref>
Howell played in 13 games in 2021 and recorded 25 defensive tackles, nine special teams tackles, and two forced fumbles.<ref name=CFLguide>{{cite web|url=https://static.cfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025-CFL-Guide-Final.pdf |title=2025 CFL Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=February 14, 2026}}</ref> In 2022, he spent most of the season on the injured list and played in just five games, recording 14 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles, and two forced fumbles.<ref name=CFLguide/> In the 2023 season, he played and started in 13 games, where he had a career-high 39 defensive tackles and one forced fumble.<ref name=CFLguide/>
In 2024, Howell played in 13 games in a backup capacity where he had seven defensive tackles and four special teams tackles.<ref name=CFLguide/> He was again injured for much of the 2025 season and played in six games where he recorded eight defensive tackles.<ref name=CFLbio>{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/players/justin-howell/164092/ |title=Justin Howell |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=February 14, 2026}}</ref> He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 10, 2026.<ref name=2026T>{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2026/ |title=Transactions – Football Player Trades and Signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=February 14, 2026}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{commons}} *[https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/players/justin-howell/164092/ Ottawa Redblacks bio] *{{Twitter|jhowell_21|Justin Howell}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Justin}} Category:1993 births Category:Living people Category:Canadian football defensive backs Category:Carleton Ravens football players Category:Ottawa Redblacks players Category:Players of Canadian football from Ontario Category:Sportspeople from Bradford West Gwillimbury