Dissecting every Eagles unrestricted free agent: Might anyone return?
By Hunter Doyle
RB. Philadelphia Eagles. Jordan Howard. 24. player. 54.
Will the Philadelphia Eagles bring back Jordan Howard once again?
Halloween was certainly a treat for Eagles fans. Jordan Howard was promoted from the practice squad and helped the effort in a dominant win in Detroit. The following week, he secured his spot on the roster for the rest of the season with an impressive performance versus the Chargers. In his first four games of the season, he averaged 5.37 yards per carry and found the endzone three times.
In eight total games, Howard finished 15th in yards after contact per run per PFF (among running backs with a minimum of 80 carries). The six-foot, 224-pound bulldozer fell forward every single time and kept the chains moving.
While he is primarily an inside zone/duo running back, he did well on some pin-pull concepts most notably in the Week 11 matchup with the Saints. The only concern with ‘JH’ is the shoulder stinger and knee injury.
That didn’t keep him out very long this season but he looked a little banged up after the shoulder issue in Week 16. Overall, the new staff did a good job of keeping the roster healthy each week with regular walkthroughs.
Howard is a key piece of the puzzle. He keeps the offense on time and in rhythm and is often the workhorse on long, methodical drives. At the end of games when the Eagles are in the lead, Howard can take advantage of fatigued defenders for extra yards to ensure that the clock keeps running.
If he is relatively cheap, it makes a lot of sense to bring him back given his familiarity with the variety of run concepts Nick Sirianni and Jeff Stoutland like to use.