Chicago Bears: Is Jordan Howard being overlooked?
There’s a lot of negative sentiment about the Chicago Bears, and plenty of it deserved, but it’s also causing running back Jordan Howard to be overlooked.
Much has been made of what the Chicago Bears did in the 2017 NFL Draft. Though there were mitigating factors in the decision, the end result looks unfavorable. They traded up from the No. 3 pick to the No. 2 selection with the San Francisco 49ers to take quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, a player the 49ers weren’t going to take. Even if they were trying to block other trades, the look is still bad.
Considering that and the general state of rebuilding in Chicago, there has been a lot of negative talk about the Bears heading into 2017. I’m not excluded from this, as I’ve said that I expect them to win fewer than four games this season. In all of this pessimism regarding the Bears, though, their coup from the 2016 draft might be getting forgotten.
In the fifth round in 2016, the Bears selected former Indiana running back Jordan Howard. Though prolific in college, there were questions about his pro prospects. When he was given the reins to the backfield, though, he answered any queries about his ability emphatically.
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Howard played in 15 games for the Bears as a rookie and, frankly, was damn impressive. He took 252 carries for 1,313 yards, good for an astounding 5.2 yards per carry. The former Hoosier also found the end zone six times and lost just one fumble on the year. Throw in 29 receptions for 298 yards and a score and, had it not been for the Dallas Cowboys duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, he’d have been a potential Offensive Rookie of the Year.
However, there has been decidedly little talk about Howard this offseason when discussing the Bears. Their defense is still going to be bad, yes. And there are questions about the Trubisky-Mike Glennon dynamic at quarterback. But they still have a decent offensive line and Howard should be just as good in Year 2.
In fact, it might not be out of the question to say that Howard could be even better with his sophomore effort.
As reported in the Chicago Sun Times by Adam L. Jahns, Howard has trimmed down his body fat to become a more explosive back in the 2017 season. What’s more, he’s reiterated on several occasions that he still feels he has something to prove moving forward. With that mentality coupled with the ability he showed as a rookie, there is definite reason to expect big things from the running back.
Is Howard going to be able to take the Bears to the playoffs? Probably not. The criticisms of the Bears to some degree are warranted. They’re in a state of flux and are looking towards the future.
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With that said, the presence of Howard in the backfield makes them more dangerous than many might give them credit for. At the very least, one element of their offense is looking like it will be effective. That’s not enough to be good in this league, but it is enough to not be a laughingstock like some may expect them to be.