3 Interesting facts on Philadelphia Eagles RB Jordan Howard

Ladies and gentlemen, Jordan Howard is, now, a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, and everyone is celebrating the move. We’ve got three interesting facts on Philly’s new tailback.

There’s a real kumbaya type of feeling floating around the Philadelphia Eagles organization and fanbase as we head into the weekend, officially the last two days of March. Eagles fans are celebrating the addition of Jordan Howard. So are their players.

Who knows how they did it? Maybe it was Doug Pederson‘s friendship with Matt Nagy. Maybe good old Doug pulled a fast one on his good buddy. Then again, it could be that Howie Roseman magic. The Eagles’ vice president has developed a penchant for pulling off amazing roster moves seemingly out of nowhere.

Philly got Howard for a sixth-round draft choice in 2020 (that could become a fifth-round choice). Everyone who ‘bleeds green’ has, no doubt, checked out the blogs, radio networks and highlight reels. Yes, you can include Inside the Iggles in that bunch.

In the process, we came up with a boatload of interesting facts. Here are three of them:

1. Dude racked up 935 yards and nine touchdowns in what was supposed to be an ‘off year’.

When you look around the web, you might see something pretty consistently. Some of the theory among people who know the Chicago Bears pretty well is Howard was failing to find his way in Matt Nagy’s offensive system.

But wait. He racked up 935 yards while splitting time with Tarik Cohen, the Bears reached the playoffs, and Howard’s nine touchdowns led the team.

Sure, we’e on the outside looking in, but did we miss something? Maybe we can say he started slow in 2018, but he seemed to turn things around. Right?

2. Philly can get out of this deal for nothing if things don’t work out.

In 2019, Howard will earn a salary of a little over $2 million. If Philly doesn’t extend him, he becomes a free agent. This is an arrangement that might work, and if it doesn’t, ‘The Birds’ don’t lose much. There’s no other way to say it. This deal is a win-win for Philly.

3. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Here’s what NFL.com said about Howard in his draft profile:

"Howard has the optimal size and talent needed to strap the pads on and become a productive workhorse for a team looking for one, true lead back. Howard’s vision, power and subtle shiftiness allow him to create and break tackles along the way. Staying healthy in the NFL is a legitimate concern for Howard considering his relentless running style. If he can stay healthy, Howard has the ability to become an instant factor as an NFL starter."

They also compared him to Arian Foster. They seem to have been on point with their analysis. Three years in, and Howard’s racked up 3,370 yards, 24 touchdowns on the ground, 72 receptions, 568 yards through the air, and a receiving touchdown to his resume.

To be honest, you can take that draft profile (which was written three years ago), and you’ve got a pretty fair assessment of where he is now. Heading into the draft, Philly’s got a pretty good option if they’re looking for an every-down lead back.

What comes next is anyone’s guess.