Philadelphia Eagles fans finally learn conditions from Jordan Howard trade
By Dan Parzych
A new report released the details of the conditions from the Jordan Howard trade pulled off by the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason with the Chicago Bears.
Last offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles had nothing to lose when they completed a trade with the Chicago Bears to land Jordan Howard since all the team needed to give up was a future sixth-round pick in 2020.
At the time, the Eagles were in need of help at the running back position after dealing with numerous injuries the year before at the position, and when looking at the impact made by Howard in the previous three years with the Bears, this was a no brainer for Philadelphia.
Take into consideration the Eagles would eventually land Miles Sanders in the draft to provide the offense with a new dynamic duo in the backfield, the excitement surrounding Howard was taken to new levels leading up to September.
With that being said, there were certainly plenty of times throughout the first two months of the 2019 season in which Howard seemed to have a bright future in Philadelphia due to his impressive level of play.
But when Howard’s mysterious shoulder injury basically prevented him from seeing the field over the final two months along with the playoffs, it appears the running back’s future in Philadelphia remains uncertain.
As bad as it sounds, Sanders becoming the top running back on offense along with the surprise emergence of Boston Scott made it pretty clear the Eagles could afford to move on from Howard if needed this offseason.
Whether they look to free agency to sign someone else or simply look to the upcoming draft in April, Philadelphia will certainly have plenty of options to consider if they are in fact looking for a replacement to Howard.
Speaking of the draft, and a note related to Howard, the one previous mystery surrounding the trade with the Bears last offseason was what the conditions were in order for Chicago to receive a better draft pick.
Luckily for Eagles fans, Jimmy Kempski from PhillyVoice.com recently laid out the details over what needed to happen in order for that sixth-round pick to become a fifth, as listed below.
"According to a source, for the sixth-round pick to become a fifth-round pick, one of the following four conditions had to be met: If Howard had 1000 rushing yards.If Howard made the Pro Bowl.If Howard had 50 percent of the team’s rushing yardage.If the Eagles re-sign Howard to a new deal before 2020 free agency."
As Kempski points out, three of the four conditions were never met, and assuming Howard is in fact on his way out once free agency arrives, it appears that Chicago selection will remain a sixth-round pick.
For obvious reasons, Philadelphia and their fans may feel some sort of frustration over the Howard deal failing to live up to its true potential, but at least the future still appears to be bright in the backfield led by Sanders.
Plus, the Eagles keeping that fifth-round pick may not seem like the biggest deal in the world, but this should be viewed as a small win since fans never know which player could be available as a potential steal for Philadelphia when on the clock that round.