Jordan Howard may have accepted his fate when he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. That doesn’t mean he’s happy about it. No player likes to be traded. It gives one the feeling that the team viewed them as not good enough. The Chicago Bears made it clear with the move that they felt they could survive without him in the offense.
A big reason it happened was Howard’s lack of prowess in the passing game. Though he could catch passes, he wasn’t a natural route runner. He also didn’t have the speed or quickness to separate down the field. These are all things that head coach Matt Nagy wanted from his running backs. It’s why Taquan Mizzell got so much playing time and why they spent money and draft picks to secure Mike Davis and David Montgomery.
It seems this has stuck with Howard. When speaking to the Philadelphia media, he expressed his excitement about being in the Eagles offensive system. One major difference? They’re willing to do something the Bears refused to during his final season with the team.
Jordan Howard will likely be disappointed by his pass usage
Howard may be excited about how things look in June, but does this mean the Eagles plan to feature him heavily in the passing game by September? That is unlikely. Most agree that Howard was acquired to fill the LeGarrette Blount role in the backfield. That of a bigger, stronger back who can grind out tough yards and be a big factor in the red zone and short yardage.
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Blount had eight catches in his season with Philadelphia back in 2017.
The Eagles have two backs in Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement who catch the ball well. Then there is 2nd round pick Miles Sanders who is almost certain to get a featured role with his versatility. That doesn’t leave a lot of targets left for Howard. So while he may gush about how the Eagles throw it to him now, the odds of it carrying over into the regular season are remote.
