Jordan Howard gives Philadelphia Eagles best 11-personnel in NFL

The Philadelphia Eagles traded for running back Jordan Howard, giving them the best 11 personnel in the NFL.

We all have been wondering what Philadelphia Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman was going to do at running back this offseason, and the magician had one more trick up his sleeve. Roseman and the Eagles traded a 2020 sixth round pick (that can turn into a fifth), per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, for Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard.

Howard comes to Philadelphia for the equivalent of a snack wrap at McDonald’s, as Roseman somehow was able to get the NFL’s third-leading rusher since 2016 for a 2020 late-round pick. It is just another impressive move to add to Roseman’s Hall of Fame career as he gets the Eagles one step closer to their second Super Bowl.

Outside of the obvious fact that the Eagles finally have their starting running back, this does something to the Eagles offense that will take them over the top — it gives them the best 11-personnel (one running back, one tight end, and three wide receivers) in the NFL. Why is this important?

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

Well, the best offense in the NFL last season, the Los Angeles Rams, ran 11-personnel a staggering 90 percent of the time (per Robert Mays of the Ringer). Why? Because if you have a dominant 11-personnel, you are near impossible to stop. And the Eagles officially have that with the addition of Howard.

Philadelphia spent big on wide receiver this year, and it was the right move. They gave quarterback Carson Wentz the weapons he needs in the passing game to succeed. Now, with the addition of Howard, Roseman and company have given Wentz every opportunity to get back to his MVP level in 2019.

When head coach Doug Pederson and his Eagles lineup in 11-personnel, they will have Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson split out wide, Nelson Agholor in the slot, Zach Ertz at tight end and Howard in the backfield. They can obviously switch this around, but for the sake of this discussion, lets set them up in this base 11-personnel formation.

This will give NFL defensive coordinators nightmares because it will be near impossible to stop the Eagles. Jackson will take the top off the defense and give you the threat of a big play every single time he is on the field. Agholor can do it all, but is best running short routes from the slot. Jeffery can win one-on-one match-ups anywhere on the field and can get open, even if he isn’t. Ertz has improved as a run blocker and is also the best receiving tight end in the NFL.

And then there is Howard now, who can pound the ball between the tackles.

If the defense decides to try and stop the run by stacking the box, the Eagles will gash them through the air. If the defense decides to sit in a sub-package and try and stop the pass, Howard will easily have his third 1,000 yard season in four years. Oh, and did you miss play-action bombs to Jackson? Well, do not worry, they will certainly be back in 2019 because of this move.

The trade for Howard should bring excitement off of the field, but on the field, the results from this move are going to be even better. There is no doubt that this was another great move by Roseman and that the Eagles now have the best 11-personnel in football.