The Countdown to Kickoff series moves along with a look at Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Jaye Howard who returned to the team after testing free agency this off season.
There are exactly 96 days until the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers open up the 2016 NFL regular season with a Super Bowl rematch. In the meantime, we at NFL Spin Zone are going to profile a player each day as we countdown the days to kickoff.
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The countdown began with a look at no. 99 rookie DE Joey Bosa and continued on with no. 98 New York Giants DT Damon Harrison and no. 97 Pittsburgh Steelers DE Cameron Heyward. Today, we are looking at Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Jaye Howard.
Howard hit free agency this off season, but ended up back in Kansas City on a two-year, $12 million contract. A versatile defensive lineman who makes an impact both against the run and in the pass rush, I think the Chiefs were able to get Howard back on an incredibly favorable deal.
When Howard signed his new deal back in March, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star talked to Howard on why he came back to the Chiefs on a seemingly favorable deal.
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“Howard said there were other opportunities for him in free agency, but he’s comfortable in defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s system,” Paylor wrote.
“I’ve excelled in it,” Howard said. “That was my main thing. I didn’t want to go to another organization and have to learn a new system. I’m surrounded by great players here, and I can’t say that for the other teams that were involved.”
Howard was a fourth-round selection by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2012 NFL Draft, but only played in two games for the team before getting waived in a roster crunch in 2013. The Chiefs wisely scooped him up, and Howard became a huge contributor for them in 2014, playing in all 16 regular season games, including 10 starts.
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He took his game to the next level in 2015, starting 14-of-16 regular season games and being featured heavily in the mix at all positions on the Chiefs’ three-man front. Howard does it all for the Chiefs, he is a starter at five-technique defensive end, is the team’s best option as a three-technique defensive tackle and gets time at nose guard as Dontari Poe‘s primary back-up.
With an incredible combination of raw power and quickness, Howard can really do it all up front for the Chiefs, and he is an important weapon who they needed to get back in the mix.
While rookie Chris Jones will also figure in to their plans, with Mike DeVito retiring this offseason, Howard, Poe and Allen Bailey are the clear-cut starters for the Chiefs up front. Allowing Howard even more opportunity to show off his skills in 2016.
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While he has more security in his current deal than he ever had in the past, Howard will be hungry playing for the Chiefs the next two seasons. He will be 29 years old when he hits free agency again and in a great position to hit the jackpot on the open market.