Chicago Bears: Why trading Jordan Howard was the right move

The Chicago Bears pulled the trigger on their most controversial move of the offseason, trading Jordan Howard. But it was also probably their best move.

The Chicago Bears just pulled the trigger on their most controversial move of the entire offseason. They traded running back Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles for a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick. The move caused huge rumbles among fans. Even though this was over a year in the making, now that it’s official, there are mixed feelings.

Now that Howard is gone, some feel there is a question in the backfield, but they are still in good shape. They have Mike Davis, Tarik Cohen and Cordarrelle Patterson to be main cogs. More than likely, general manager Ryan Pace picks up another to be in the mix.

Head coach Matt Nagy likes to use a committee of running backs to both keep his running backs fresh and keep the opposing defenses off balance. There will now be a plethora of running backs taking Howard’s place in the backfield.

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Some fans still wonder why the Bears needed to pull the trigger on a Howard trade. He broke the Chicago Bears rookie rushing record and became the first Bears running back to rush for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, so why was it necessary to let him go?

Having Howard as the main running back bogs the offense down. He requires a bulk of the plays so it prevents other players from getting involved. Without Howard, Nagy can use different combinations of players in the backfield.

He can use Davis, who can run between the tackles. He has Cohen, aka The Human Joystick, who surprisingly can make some moves inside the tackles or take it outside. You have Patterson, who uses his speed to break out. Then you have whoever the Bears draft, someone who is an explosive back.

What is the common denominator for all these backs? They can catch out of the backfield. Yes, defenses need to watch out for the run, but they also need to watch out for the pass. While the Bears have quality receivers in Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Trey Burton, defenses have to watch for someone coming out of the backfield.

They didn’t have to do that with Howard. He was a check down back, someone who is the last option. In 2018, he only had 26 passes thrown to him all season. With the other players, quarterback Mitch Trubisky can throw to anyone on the field.

Trubisky’s development with his receivers is the most important thing for the Bears. This is a pass-happy league and Nagy runs a pass-happy system. You see how well Alex Smith performed in that system. He had the best season of his career under Nagy.

You can also take a look at Smith’s replacement in Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes. He sat and learned the system and became the NFL’s MVP winner. Nagy now wants to do that with Trubsiky.

Don’t get the wrong message, those who like this trade (myself among them) aren’t saying that Howard is bad. He is a quality running back but his skill sets don’t fit Nagy’s system. He was great when he was in former head coach John Fox’s system. Fox seemed to be deathly afraid of passing the ball. He just wanted a strong running game to go with a tough defense.

Rushing for a 1,000 yards is nice, but it isn’t necessary for a team to win the Super Bowl. The last six winners are examples of that:

• 2018 New England Patriots: Sony Michel (931 yards), James White (425 yards), and Cordarrelle Patterson (228 yards)
• 2017 Philadelphia Eagles: LeGarrette Blount (776 yards), Corey Clement (321 yards), Jay Ajayi (408 yards)
• 2016 New England Patriots: LeGarrette Blount (1,161 yards), Dion Lewis (283 yards), James White (166 yards)
• 2015 Denver Broncos: Ronnie Hillman (863 Yards), C.J. Anderson (720 yards)
• 2014 New England Patriots: Shane Vereen (391 yards), Stevan Ridley (340 yards), Jonas Gray (412 yards), LeGarrette Blount (281 yards)
• 2013 Seattle Seahawks: Marshawn Lynch (1,257 yards), Robert Turbin (264 yards)

As you can see from these stats, in the last six seasons, only two champions had a running back run for over 1,000 yards. Additionally, they mostly used a running back by committee format. In fact, I only used running backs in the above stats, but two of the champs, the 2017 Eagles and the 2013 Seahawks, also had quarterbacks deeply involved in the running game as well.

People need to calm down. Fans have a tendency to love the player and not see the bigger picture — winning titles. It’s understandable, seeing how a player like Howard carried the team through some dark times. You want him to be there at great times. You need players who fit, and not just keep them because they’re popular. Finally, the Chicago Bears are doing that.