The Bears are reportedly shopping Jordan Howard, which makes sense. He's not really a fit for Matt Nagy's scheme in Chicago, which works better with running backs who are involved in the passing game. Debatable, though, if there's anywhere Howard actually fits well.
Howard doesn't offer much as a receiver. The Bears figured that out quickly last season. He caught 10 passes the first three games, and then that was mothballed. In the final 13 games, he caught just 10 passes -- no more than 2 in any contest. On those catches, he averaged just 7.3 yards, one of the worst figures among backs with at least 25 targets.
RUNNING BACKS, YARDS PER CATCH (25 TARGETS) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Tm | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Avg |
Kareem Hunt | KAN | 35 | 26 | 378 | 14.5 |
Cordarrelle Patterson | NWE | 28 | 21 | 247 | 11.8 |
Adrian Peterson | WAS | 26 | 20 | 208 | 10.4 |
Austin Ekeler | LAC | 53 | 39 | 404 | 10.4 |
Tarik Cohen | CHI | 91 | 71 | 725 | 10.2 |
Elijah McGuire | NYJ | 31 | 19 | 193 | 10.2 |
Melvin Gordon | LAC | 66 | 50 | 490 | 9.8 |
Todd Gurley | LAR | 81 | 59 | 580 | 9.8 |
Matt Breida | SFO | 31 | 27 | 261 | 9.7 |
Duke Johnson | CLE | 62 | 47 | 429 | 9.1 |
James Conner | PIT | 71 | 55 | 497 | 9.0 |
Kenyan Drake | MIA | 73 | 53 | 477 | 9.0 |
Jalen Richard | OAK | 81 | 68 | 607 | 8.9 |
T.J. Yeldon | JAX | 78 | 55 | 487 | 8.9 |
David Johnson | ARI | 76 | 50 | 446 | 8.9 |
Alvin Kamara | NOR | 105 | 81 | 709 | 8.8 |
Tevin Coleman | ATL | 44 | 32 | 276 | 8.6 |
James White | NWE | 123 | 87 | 751 | 8.6 |
Leonard Fournette | JAX | 26 | 22 | 185 | 8.4 |
Wendell Smallwood | PHI | 35 | 28 | 230 | 8.2 |
Christian McCaffrey | CAR | 124 | 107 | 867 | 8.1 |
Mark Ingram | NOR | 27 | 21 | 170 | 8.1 |
Saquon Barkley | NYG | 121 | 91 | 721 | 7.9 |
Aaron Jones | GNB | 35 | 26 | 206 | 7.9 |
Jamaal Williams | GNB | 41 | 27 | 210 | 7.8 |
Jaylen Samuels | PIT | 29 | 26 | 199 | 7.7 |
Alfred Blue | HOU | 27 | 20 | 154 | 7.7 |
Dalvin Cook | MIN | 49 | 40 | 305 | 7.6 |
Nick Chubb | CLE | 29 | 20 | 149 | 7.5 |
Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | 95 | 77 | 567 | 7.4 |
Jordan Howard | CHI | 26 | 20 | 145 | 7.3 |
Isaiah Crowell | NYJ | 28 | 21 | 152 | 7.2 |
LeSean McCoy | BUF | 46 | 34 | 238 | 7.0 |
Joe Mixon | CIN | 55 | 43 | 296 | 6.9 |
Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 47 | 35 | 241 | 6.9 |
Dion Lewis | TEN | 67 | 59 | 400 | 6.8 |
Kerryon Johnson | DET | 39 | 32 | 213 | 6.7 |
Nyheim Hines | IND | 81 | 63 | 425 | 6.7 |
Lamar Miller | HOU | 35 | 25 | 163 | 6.5 |
Latavius Murray | MIN | 26 | 22 | 141 | 6.4 |
Mike Davis | SEA | 42 | 34 | 214 | 6.3 |
Giovani Bernard | CIN | 48 | 35 | 218 | 6.2 |
Marlon Mack | IND | 26 | 17 | 103 | 6.1 |
Peyton Barber | TAM | 29 | 20 | 92 | 4.6 |
After those early chances in the passing game, he was strictly a runner. But even in that respect, while playing for a team that went 12-4, he wasn't impressive. He averaged just 3.7 yards per carry, better than only five backs who had at least 150 attempts last season.
RUNNING BACK RUSHING, 2018 (150 ATTEMPTS) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | Team | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
Phillip Lindsay | DEN | 192 | 1,037 | 5.4 | 9 |
Matt Breida | SF | 153 | 814 | 5.3 | 3 |
Nick Chubb | CLE | 192 | 996 | 5.2 | 8 |
Melvin Gordon | LAC | 175 | 885 | 5.1 | 10 |
Saquon Barkley | NYG | 261 | 1,307 | 5.0 | 11 |
Christian McCaffrey | CAR | 219 | 1,098 | 5.0 | 7 |
Todd Gurley | LA | 256 | 1,251 | 4.9 | 17 |
Joe Mixon | CIN | 237 | 1,168 | 4.9 | 8 |
Derrick Henry | TEN | 215 | 1,059 | 4.9 | 12 |
Tevin Coleman | ATL | 167 | 800 | 4.8 | 4 |
Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | 304 | 1,434 | 4.7 | 6 |
Chris Carson | SEA | 247 | 1,151 | 4.7 | 9 |
Marlon Mack | IND | 195 | 908 | 4.7 | 9 |
Lamar Miller | HOU | 210 | 973 | 4.6 | 5 |
Alvin Kamara | NO | 194 | 883 | 4.6 | 14 |
Kareem Hunt | KC | 181 | 824 | 4.6 | 7 |
Frank Gore | MIA | 156 | 722 | 4.6 | 0 |
James Conner | PIT | 215 | 973 | 4.5 | 12 |
Sony Michel | NE | 209 | 931 | 4.5 | 6 |
Adrian Peterson | WAS | 251 | 1,042 | 4.2 | 7 |
Doug Martin | OAK | 172 | 723 | 4.2 | 4 |
Peyton Barber | TB | 234 | 871 | 3.7 | 5 |
Jordan Howard | CHI | 250 | 935 | 3.7 | 9 |
David Johnson | ARI | 258 | 940 | 3.6 | 7 |
Dion Lewis | TEN | 155 | 517 | 3.3 | 1 |
Alfred Blue | HOU | 150 | 499 | 3.3 | 2 |
LeSean McCoy | BUF | 161 | 514 | 3.2 | 3 |
LeGarrette Blount | DET | 154 | 418 | 2.7 | 5 |
Maybe a change of scenery helps. As a rookie in 2016, Howard looked like one of the league's better young running backs, rushing for 1,313 yards and averaging 5.2 yards per carry.
But at the moment, he looks like a one-dimensional back who's already put up the best numbers he'll manage in the NFL.
--Andy Richardson