Running from shotgun
Gone are the days of John Fox and his conservative, between the tackles I formation offense. These Chicago Bears are going to run between the tackles. However, they are going to spread teams out to do so. This means more snaps from the shotgun with four pass catchers spread out.
This puts fewer men in the box for Howard and less traffic. Adding in the idea that the unit should get better physically, and Howard has a lot of cooking for him. However, another weird note from the John Fox era is how blind he was to what worked and what didn’t work in his offense.
Jordan Howard was elite running from shotgun last season. This likely plays into that narrative that spreading teams out to run the football is more effective. It also plays into the idea that the past Bears play callers were so predictable that to see Howard run from the shotgun was shocking to see.
It may be more predictable to see Howard run from the shotgun, but given the outside circumstances in terms of supporting cast, Howard should still be in positive situations from the shotgun.
Howard is known for his power and vision. He can use his vision to see clearly into the second level when running from the shotgun. From there, he will know when to add momentum and turn on the power to extend runs in the second level. Feels like a good chance to take a step forward.