Inside the Iggles
FanSided

3 Reasons why the Philadelphia Eagles should trade for Jordan Howard

By Justin Grasso

EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 02: Jordan Howard #24 of the Chicago Bears runs the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 02, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - DECEMBER 02: Jordan Howard #24 of the Chicago Bears runs the ball against the New York Giants during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium on December 02, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 21: Running back Wendell Smallwood #28 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on October 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 21: Running back Wendell Smallwood #28 of the Philadelphia Eagles runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on October 21, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

Do we trust the Eagles to draft a game-changer?

Even if the Eagles made a trade for a running back, there’s still a chance that they want to draft somebody. Say they don’t make a trade for Jordan Howard though, and head into the NFL Draft looking to get a running back – Do we trust the Eagles to draft the right guy? I know, Howie knows best, Howie’s a genius, etc. But has anybody really taken a step back and evaluated some of the talents that Roseman and Joe Douglas have brought on board through the draft?

Let’s take a look at all of the rookie running backs that the Eagles have acquired since Howie Roseman returned to the Eagles front office in 2016.

  • 2016 – Drafted Wendell Smallwood in the fifth round
  • 2017 – Drafted Donnel Pumphrey in the fifth round, signed Corey Clement as a UDFA
  • 2018 – Signed Josh Adams as a UDFA

At this point, there’s not a single running back that Howie Roseman has brought on board since 2016 that’s been really impressive. Wendell Smallwood is clearly a reliever when all else fails. Corey Clement is a decent change of pace back, but far from franchise running back. The Eagles traded up and missed on Donnel Pumphrey in a draft that was stacked with running backs like Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, and Dalvin Cook. And Josh Adams has shown flashes, but the Eagles made it evident that the only reason why they used him as much as they did is because they were desperate.

If the Eagles could send say, one of their two, fourth-round picks to the Bears for Howard, why not do it? With Howard, you get a proven running back with three years of experience under his belt for a cheap year. If he works out in 2019, you re-sign him. If not, then he walks, and you chalk up the loss of the extra pick. At least by sending a mid-round pick, you know what you’re getting. If the Eagles wait and snag a running back at that spot, then who knows, you might end up with a player that could turn out to be a bust. At least with Howard, you know what you’re getting.

Next. Eagles have met with a ton of running backs at the NFL Combine. dark

Home/Eagles News