The trade of Jordan Howard to the Chicago Bears to the Eagles this offseason has been a very hot topic of discussion. Many believe the move was the right call while others think the move has caused the running game to stall. No matter what you think, we should be cheering him on.
Leading up to the 2019 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears decided to trade away Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles. Matt Nagy struggled with Howard’s inability to run successful routes and catch easy passes out of the backfield. He felt that Howard did not fit his scheme well enough. This caused Ryan Pace to trade him away on the last year of his rookie contract.
I personally believe the trade was the right move. The Chicago Bears might be struggling to run the ball, but I do not believe Howard would look any better than David Montgomery behind this offensive line. I thought it was better to get something for Howard rather than letting his contract expire and they watch him leave in free agency.
The trade was for a sixth-round draft pick. This does not seem great to be honest as Howard has been relatively successful in his career. That said, Howard was a fifth-round pick himself. Speaking of the fifth round, the trade for Howard was a sixth-rounder, but there were conditions that would make the draft pick turn into a fifth instead. This would be ideal for the Bears.
Here is the thing, I cannot find the details of the conditions anywhere. It seems that these conditions are kept quiet unless the player meets them. Most conditional draft picks are based on performance. If this is true, I would suspect that Jordan Howard has to be getting close to giving the Bears a fifth opposed to a sixth.
As of right now, Jordan Howard has 525 yards and six touchdowns. He has also caught 10 of 14 balls for 69 yards and another touchdown. That totals 594 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns on the season for Howard.
Here is the problem though. Howard has missed the last two games with a stinger. His status for this week against the Miami Dolphins is up in the air. That would be a great game for Howard to build upon his stats by the way. This would also be a good game for the Eagles to try and continue to rest Howard and have him heal up. As Bears fans, we should want him to play and also succeed. The better Howard does, the more likely he is to meet the conditions of his trade.
Watching Jordan Howard succeed is hard for Bears fans. This holds especially true for those who are not happy Ryan Pace traded him away in the first place. The thing is, we all should be cheering him on and wanting him to play in order for the Chicago Bears to earn that fifth-round pick opposed to only a sixth. Heal up quickly and get back out there Howard. Your old fans need you.