Why Bringing Back Jordan Howard Makes No Sense for Bears
When Bears coach Matt Nagy decided he needed a back who could both run inside within a zone blocking scheme while also catching passes, it became apparent Jordan Howard's time in Chicago would end.
It ended with a trade to Philadelphia for a sixth-round pick and then the inevitable revenge game by Howard with 19 rushes for 82 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 22-14 victory over the Bears.
So when the 2019 season ended and Howard had no contract extension from the Eagles, the expected outcries for his return to Halas Hall came forth.
Look on social media and fan demand for Jordan Howard's return seems unending. Even after David Montgomery showed he could run through four or five tackles and carry defenders into the end zone, there seems to be an attachment to Howard.
There are several reasons the Bears should go out of their way to snuff out this thought, short of a public pronouncement.
In a way, general manager Ryan Pace already did.
The Bears have an obvious need for a backup running back who could step in as the main ball carrier if something happens to Montgomery. General manager Ryan Pace wouldn't even acknowledge this at the combine with Howard obviously available.
"We like the group we have right now," he said.
Pace then listed the wide assortment of backs from Tarik Cohen as a scatback to Ryan Nall as a power option and Cordarrelle Patterson as a speedy jack-of-all-trades type.
"Doesn't mean we can't continue to add to the room," Pace said. "But I think right now we have a lot of different flavors there that all feed off each other."
Whether they have the back who can effectively replace Montgomery is open to debate.
Whether it should be Howard as the one to add is not open to debate and here's why:
1. Howard hasn't improved as a receiver. He had 10 receptions last year in Philadelphia. He never had good hands and didn't know much about running pass patterns. It was part of the reason the Bears wanted to look elsewhere.
2. The Bears need more players who fit the system Nagy wants to run, not another player who is better suited for another system. This has been one of their greatest offensive problems. They have too many offensive pieces better suited to run outside zone and not inside zone with RPO passing. As a result, Nagy was forced to try to adapt his offense. He shouldn't have to do this. His talent should be capable of executing his offense. Why should they bring in another one who was never suited for their style of game?
3. Howard wasn't really very good in 2018 when he didn't get to 1,000 yards. The offense was 11th in rushing and was 27th in rushing without him, it's true. The big difference in what they did in 2018 and 2019 in rushing, though, wasn't the running back but was Mitchell Trubisky. He had 228 more rushing yards in 2018 and it disguised how bad their rushing attack really was when Howard averaged only 3.7 yards a carry. The Bears last year would have been in the middle of the pack or better in rushing with Montgomery averaging the same 3.7 yards a carry if they could have had 228 more Trubisky rushing yards. Many of those Trubisky yards in 2018 went for first downs, and made it possible for them to run the ball even more.
4. It usurps Montgomery to bring back his predecessor. Pace said at the combine he and Nagy see Montgomery as a back who can handle 25 carries a game. They've moved on. Howard would merely be the backup if he returned to Chicago and backup running backs have to be part of special teams to have a function as active players on Sundays when they're not carrying the ball. Howard isn't a special teams contributor.
5. Howard is coming off what was essentially a season-ending neck/shoulder injury. He never carried again after the Nov. 3 win over the Bears and took a long time to regain strength in his shoulder. With the Bears, he also had a season with shoulder problems in 2017.
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