Jordan Howard released

[The Cooler King]

Dolphins release Jordan Howard. Man, he fell off a cliff.

They just signed him in the offseason to a 2/9.75 deal, including 4.75m guaranteed. They ended up paying 158,333 per yard gained this year. He was averaging just 1.2 yards per carry. Obviously he's a bit of a rhythm/grinder who needs consistent carries, so his usage certainly didn't help, but even still, yeesh.

[UOK]

Howard is a running back not for today's game. He would've been perfect in the early 2000s when teams had their feature back to ride for dozens of carries a game.

[G08]

Dude has/had a ton of wear on him.

[Dardango]

Actually, he doesn't have a ton of wear on him, which is part of the problem. He got caught in that running back by committee bullshit in Miami, which never should have signed him because he wasn't the ground and pound back that works better in colder climates.

Howard ran well behind the crappy lines Montgomery has with Leno and Massie PLUS a declining Kyle Long. He picked up a 1000 yards almost every season, including the first year of Nagy's genius offense where he wasn't even getting that many touches.

With Montgomery down, bring Jordan in and see what he can give. God knows we need the help and don't need to see any more of the Cordarelle Patterson experiment. It would be 700k or less, to sign him since Miami already paid him the 4.5 million guaranteed.

We know now that Nagy's offense was a major part of the problem and Montgomery wasn't the miracle answer, so what the hell, give the guy a shot and let him at least finish out his career in a Bears uni.

[Bad Flanders]

LOL. Howard was worn out when he left here. His average yard per carry had dropped from over 5 in his first year to under 4 in his third (last). AND, his first year the line still had Sitton and Long, it was a solid line. I'm not trying to take anything away from him, he was good that first year, he had explosive runs and there were plenty of injuries to his surrounding cast and he had to really carry a load. But the fact is that he took a step back his second year and then the big drop happened in his third and he couldn't overcome that.

Glad he got paid at least a little in Miami, he didn't really deserve it for what he did after he went FA but he def deserved something for that first year in the league.

[wab]

No

[southdakbearfan]

No point in signing running backs when we keep trotting out Patterson in the backfield.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

LOL. Howard was worn out when he left here. His average yard per carry had dropped from over 5 in his first year to under 4 in his third (last). AND, his first year the line still had Sitton and Long, it was a solid line. I'm not trying to take anything away from him, he was good that first year, he had explosive runs and there were plenty of injuries to his surrounding cast and he had to really carry a load. But the fact is that he took a step back his second year and then the big drop happened in his third and he couldn't overcome that.

Yet he went to the Eagles, who supposedly run a similar offense to Nagy, and averaged 4.6ypc.

Do you think the offensive line might have had something to do with that?

Do you think Nagy's offense, you know the one that's averaging 3.7ypc last year and 3.6ypc this year without Howard, might have had something to do with that?

I don't know what's gone on in Miami, but Howard's still scored 4 rushing TDs on just 28 carries which is twice as many as the entire Bears offense has managed this season.

He's scored 34 rushing touchdowns in 62 games, including 24 in the 3 years he was in Chicago with 9 in his year playing for Nagy. If nothing else he knows how to get in the end zone. He was also very solid in pass protection, another area in which the current Bears offense is sorely lacking.

[Dardango]

Yet he went to the Eagles, who supposedly run a similar offense to Nagy, and averaged 4.6ypc.

Do you think the offensive line might have had something to do with that?

Do you think Nagy's offense, you know the one that's averaging 3.7ypc last year and 3.6ypc this year without Howard, might have had something to do with that?

I don't know what's gone on in Miami, but Howard's still scored 4 rushing TDs on just 28 carries which is twice as many as the entire Bears offense has managed this season.

He's scored 34 rushing touchdowns in 62 games, including 24 in the 3 years he was in Chicago with 9 in his year playing for Nagy. If nothing else he knows how to get in the end zone. He was also very solid in pass protection, another area in which the current Bears offense is sorely lacking.

Agreed. I know it's the narrative, but Howard was not falling off before he left Chicago. He came up 60 or so yards short of a third 1,000 yard season, even with Nagy's running-back-by-committee nonsense.

Miami has like 6 RBs who are almost exactly the same size and make, plus their line is garbage, which is why Tua was the right move for them. Howard's numbers look like shit because they only really used him on goal line, in which he gave them touchdowns.

Howard contributed to this team and could have continued to have done so. It's clear now that he was NOT the problem, Nagy's offensive philosophy was, and getting rid of him was another meathead move by these 'geniuses'.

[Bad Flanders]

he averaged 4.4 in Philly and only carried half the load as in Chicago, 525 yards (per PFF at least)

He can't carry a team like he could his first year

The idea that the Bears should consider bringing him back (when the argument is that he needed a better line and less carries to be a middling RB) is just not good. Sorry. I like the guy, he seems super decent, but his years were from about age 19 to 23... the 26 year old is cooked.

I'm not arguing he wasn't misused, I'm just arguing he would be worse in this system now than he was. Miller looked fine at times last night but they refused to give him the ball to see if he could do any more. Miller > Howard.

[wab]

Montgomery is Howard with better hands and worse vision.

[The Cooler King]

Yet he went to the Eagles, who supposedly run a similar offense to Nagy, and averaged 4.6ypc.

Do you think the offensive line might have had something to do with that?

Do you think Nagy's offense, you know the one that's averaging 3.7ypc last year and 3.6ypc this year without Howard, might have had something to do with that?

I don't know what's gone on in Miami, but Howard's still scored 4 rushing TDs on just 28 carries which is twice as many as the entire Bears offense has managed this season.

He's scored 34 rushing touchdowns in 62 games, including 24 in the 3 years he was in Chicago with 9 in his year playing for Nagy. If nothing else he knows how to get in the end zone. He was also very solid in pass protection, another area in which the current Bears offense is sorely lacking.

Howard's numbers look like shit because they only really used him on goal line, in which he gave them touchdowns.

The difference in his average is a rounding error if you take out the TD runs. Even if you tell me he only ever got a snap within 5 yards of the goalline, I'd venture to guess that means he probably gave up a couple yards per carry and a few scores off his current numbers.

[The Cooler King]

Montgomery is Howard with better hands and worse vision.

Perhaps a lazy take, but fair.

[Dardango]

he averaged 4.4 in Philly and only carried half the load as in Chicago, 525 yards (per PFF at least)

He can't carry a team like he could his first year

The idea that the Bears should consider bringing him back (when the argument is that he needed a better line and less carries to be a middling RB) is just not good. Sorry. I like the guy, he seems super decent, but his years were from about age 19 to 23... the 26 year old is cooked.

I'm not arguing he wasn't misused, I'm just arguing he would be worse in this system now than he was. Miller looked fine at times last night but they refused to give him the ball to see if he could do any more. Miller > Howard.

We had a 26-year old on the roster last year that people wrote off based on his previous year and under usage with the Bears. Mike Davis, in a place where the coach actually realizes you need a running game, has provided the Panthers with some nice production. The point is, raw numbers don't always tell you the full story, especially coming from a situation where the team is not really utilizing or properly evaluating their talent.

We really don't have enough of a sample size to know what Howard's level of skill is at this stage, but we know we something better than what we have now where you're getting bupkis from your current improvised running room.

[HisRoyalSweetness]

he averaged 4.4 in Philly and only carried half the load as in Chicago, 525 yards (per PFF at least)

He can't carry a team like he could his first year

The idea that the Bears should consider bringing him back (when the argument is that he needed a better line and less carries to be a middling RB) is just not good. Sorry. I like the guy, he seems super decent, but his years were from about age 19 to 23... the 26 year old is cooked.

I'm not arguing he wasn't misused, I'm just arguing he would be worse in this system now than he was. Miller looked fine at times last night but they refused to give him the ball to see if he could do any more. Miller > Howard.

Yep, my bad, you're right it was 4.4ypc not 4.6ypc. Compared to his final year in Chicago it was two thirds of a yard more per carry, so the point still stands. He did have fewer carries, 11.6 instead of 15.6 per game, so three quarters of the load. His carries were actually increasing in Philadelphia prior to his injury. His last two games he had 23 carries for 92 yards and a TD and 19 carries for 82 yards and a TD.

I agree that he would be worse in this system now than he was, but that has less to do with him than it does the continued regression of the Bears offense.

Miller had zero carries and 2 catches for 6 yards last night, so I'm not sure how you conclude he 'looked fine'. He didn't have much opportunity to look anything, one way or another. The fact is, no running back has enjoyed much success in Nagy's offense. Howard has been the most successful.

[Dardango]

he averaged 4.4 in Philly and only carried half the load as in Chicago, 525 yards (per PFF at least)

He can't carry a team like he could his first year

The idea that the Bears should consider bringing him back (when the argument is that he needed a better line and less carries to be a middling RB) is just not good. Sorry. I like the guy, he seems super decent, but his years were from about age 19 to 23... the 26 year old is cooked.

I'm not arguing he wasn't misused, I'm just arguing he would be worse in this system now than he was. Miller looked fine at times last night but they refused to give him the ball to see if he could do any more. Miller > Howard.

Yep, my bad, you're right it was 4.4ypc not 4.6ypc. Compared to his final year in Chicago it was two thirds of a yard more per carry, so the point still stands. He did have fewer carries, 11.6 instead of 15.6 per game, so three quarters of the load. His carries were actually increasing in Philadelphia prior to his injury. His last two games he had 23 carries for 92 yards and a TD and 19 carries for 82 yards and a TD.

I agree that he would be worse in this system now than he was, but that has less to do with him than it does the continued regression of the Bears offense.

Miller had zero carries and 2 catches for 6 yards last night, so I'm not sure how you conclude he 'looked fine'. He didn't have much opportunity to look anything, one way or another. The fact is, no running back has enjoyed much success in Nagy's offense. Howard has been the most successful.

True. I can't remember whether it was Kreutz or some former O-line guy who said it, but they said the run game is not good because it's not a priority to Nagy, which is one of the ultimate flaws in his offensive philosophy. It should be obvious, but lack of balance kills in the NFL.

[Bears Whiskey Nut]

Montgomery is Howard with better hands and worse vision.

This is accurate.