Jordan Howard becomes known as an elite running back
Running back Jordan Howard was a find for the Bears. They drafted him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. He was a third-string running back to start the season. Injuries opened up a spot for him and he took advantage of it. He rushed for 1,313 yards even though he only had 67 yards after the first three games of the season. His yards broke the record for the most yards by a Chicago Bears rookie. That was incredible, considering the illustrious careers of Bears running backs over the years.
He backed up a strong rookie season by again rushing for over 1,000 yards (1,122). He became the first Bears running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in his first two seasons.
| Name | Yards | Yards Per Carry | Touchdowns | Fumbles |
| Jordan Howard | 2,435 | 4.6 | 15 | 3 |
|
Le’Veon Bell |
2,559 |
4.4 |
15 |
2 |
|
2,190 |
3.9 |
19 |
5 |
|
|
2,405 |
4.6 |
19 |
6 |
As you can see from the above table, Howard compares well with the other running backs considered elite.
As well as Howard played his first two seasons, he’s still a relatively unknown player. Sure, the football nerds who live and breathe the sport know him, but the average fan still doesn’t feel he’s an elite back. Heck, he wasn’t even ranked in the NFL Network’s Top-100 players.
The one knock on Howard is his pass catching. He has 52 receptions for 423 yards. That needs to improve in a Matt Nagy-run offense. Howard worked on it in the offseason, so hopefully, that improves.
In the new offense, Howard will thrive. With the new weapons on the offense, the defense stretches. That gives Howard extra running space. The Bears’ receivers corps was abysmal the last two seasons. Everyone knew that most of the plays were going to Howard so they packed the box. Incredibly, even with the attention placed squarely on him, he still found a way to get his yards. However, with a more spread offense, Howard’s vision and power take over and he’ll have a breakout season. With the improved pass catching, many will consider him deserving of being considered an elite running back.
Prediction: 1,423 rushing yards, 517 receiving yards, 15 total touchdowns
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98ZPmOolQvE]
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