Philadelphia Eagles RB Jordan Howard could return Week 16: 3 Thoughts

Here’s an update on the Philadelphia Eagles’ injury front. Jordan Howard could return for Week 16’s game versus the Dallas Cowboys.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Jordan Howard on the playing field for the Philadelphia Eagles. To be more specific, it was Week 9 versus the Chicago Bears in what was supposed to be a revenge game for him.

He played well, carrying the ball 19 times for 82 yards and a touchdown, but a ‘singer’ has kept him out of the lineup ever since.

Good news came before Week 15’s game versus the Washington Redskins, as NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark reported that he was told Howard could return in Week 16 if the ‘Birds’ were to beat Washington in Week 15. Here are three reactions to the news.

1. We haven’t heard this from too many other sources.

Philly took care of the ‘beating Washington’ portion of the scenario, but as of 12:30 p.m. EST on the following Monday, no real announcement about the statuses of Jordan Howard, Derek Barnett or Nelson Agholor has been made other than Eagles head coach Doug Pederson stating in his Monday presser that all were ‘trending in the right direction’.

We’ll have to wait and see how things go as the week goes on.

2. What does this mean for Boston Scott?

Eagles running back Boston Scott has made the most of his opportunity with Howard on the shelf, making timely plays to help the Eagles to a two-game winning streak over the past two weeks.

With Howard’s return, Scott’s touches will decrease, but he’s proven his mettle. Duce Staley will, no doubt create opportunities for Scott to get on the field, even if it isn’t as often. The Birds’ are getting nothing, in terms of production from Jay Ajayi.

3. A Jordan Howard versus Ezekiel Elliott duel could determine how Week 16 plays out if Howard does, indeed, play.

Say what you want about Ezekiel Elliott. He’s been nothing but a problem whenever the Eagles have seen him. Philly’s never beaten Dallas with him in the lineup, and throughout those five games, ‘Zeke’ has run for 574 yards on 118 attempts. He’s reached the end zone twice on the ground.

He’s also racked up 31 receptions for 241 yards and a receiving touchdown. Having Howard in the lineup could help neutralize things some if he’s able to, at minimum, help the Eagles play ball control and keep Dallas’ offense off of the field. None of this matters though if Doug Pederson refuses to run the ball, something we’ve seen from him throughout 2019.