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Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Thoughts on the Jordan Howard Trade

By Justin Grasso

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Jordan Howard #24 of the Chicago Bears carries the ball in the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Chicago Bears won 16-14. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 23: Running back Jordan Howard #24 of the Chicago Bears carries the ball in the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Chicago Bears won 16-14. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 06: Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears hands off to Jordan Howard #24 against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field on January 06, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 06: Mitchell Trubisky #10 of the Chicago Bears hands off to Jordan Howard #24 against the Philadelphia Eagles in the first quarter of the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Soldier Field on January 06, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

2. Howard helps out in more areas than one

When Howard was rumored to have interest from the Eagles, many fans were skeptical. Apparently, his pass-catching hasn’t been impressive enough to take on. Listen, the Eagles are going to roll with a committee of running backs with or without Howard. Not everybody has to be a versatile back, meaning they can run and catch.

There are still other guys in the backfield who can play the role of a pass-catcher. Just because Howard might not meet everybody’s standards as a wideout coming out of the backfield doesn’t exactly make him one-dimensional though. Two areas where the Eagles struggled last season was short yardage situations, and pass protection. With Howard, the Eagles are getting a stout, power back who can get the few yards in tough scenarios to snag a first down or score.

As for pass protection, Howard is an excellent addition. According to Pro Football Focus, Howard only managed to allow two pressures on the quarterback off of 92 pass blocking snaps in 2018, which gave him the highest pass-blocking efficiency from a running back. That’s a major addition for Carson Wentz, as he needs all the protection he can get this season in order to stay healthy.

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