Jordan Howard

Jordan Reginald Howard (born November 2, 1994) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at UAB and Indiana.

For the basketball player, see Jordan Howard (basketball).

Jordan Howard
Howard in 2018
Free agent
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1994-11-02) November 2, 1994
Fairfield, Alabama
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:224 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Gardendale
(Gardendale, Alabama)
College:Indiana
NFL Draft:2016 / Round: 5 / Pick: 150
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Rushing yards:3,955
Rushing average:4.2
Rushing touchdowns:34
Receptions:83
Receiving yards:634
Receiving touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com

High school career

Howard played high school football at Gardendale High School in Gardendale, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham.[1] He was a two-year starter for the Rockets, gaining 2,876 yards in his junior and senior seasons.[2] While he excelled for the Rockets, he was generally regarded as a just two-star prospect and was not a highly sought-after recruit by major college programs. He ended up going to play college football just a few miles away from his home at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama.

College career

UAB

Howard began his college football career at UAB in 2013.[3] He made his collegiate debut against LSU.[4] He rushed for a season-high 159 yards against FIU.[5] He finished the 2013 season with 881 rushing yards.[6] His longest rushing play of the season was 52 yards against Vanderbilt.[7] Howard finished second in yards per carry (6.1) in Conference USA.[8]

As a sophomore in 2014, he set a school single-season record with 1,587 rushing yards and ranked seventh among Division I FBS players with an average of 132.3 rushing yards per game.[9] Howard was second in rushing yards in Conference USA for the 2014 season.[10]

Indiana

Following the shutdown of UAB's football team, Howard transferred to Indiana prior to the 2015 season.[11][12] He rushed for a season-high 238 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan on November 14, 2015.[13] In only nine games in his junior season, Howard rushed for 1,213 yards and nine touchdowns on 196 attempts and had 11 receptions for 106 yards and one touchdown.[14]

Howard received his Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University, Bloomington on May 4, 2019.

College statistics
Year Team GP Rushing Receiving
AttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgTD
2013UAB 111458816.152248320.81
2014UAB 123061,5875.255139728.01
2015Indiana 91961,2136.2379111069.61
Career326473,6815.755242426110.93

[6]

Professional career

On December 27, 2015, Howard declared for the 2016 NFL Draft, foregoing his senior season.[15] Howard was graded a 6.1 on NFL.com and had the third-highest running back rating with only Derrick Henry at 6.15, and Ezekiel Elliott at 7.09 having higher ratings than him. He was one of 24 running backs invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana. Howard attended the combine, but opted to only perform the bench press, vertical jump, and broad jump. On May 1, 2016, he participated at Indiana's pro day, along with Nate Sudfeld, Jason Spriggs, Darius Latham, and seven other then prospects.[16] Howard performed all of the running drills that he opted out of at the combine and also performed positional drills. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Howard was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. Howard was ranked as the third best running back in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com, the fourth best running back by Sports Illustrated, and was ranked the sixth best running back in the draft by NFL analyst Mike Mayock.[17][18][19]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 11 7⁄8 in
(1.83 m)		 230 lb
(104 kg)		 1⁄4 in
(0.01 m)		 9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.59 s 1.66 s 2.68 s 4.34 s 7.14 s 34 in
(0.86 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 16 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Indiana's Pro Day [20]

2016 season

The Chicago Bears selected Howard in the fifth round (150th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.[21] He was the tenth running back taken in the draft.[22] On May 9, 2016, the Bears signed him to a four-year, $2.58 million contract with a signing bonus of $248,022.[23][24]

Following the departure of veteran running back, Matt Forte, Howard competed with Jeremy Langford, Jacquizz Rodgers, and Ka'Deem Carey for the Bears' starting running back position.[25] Howard had a strong performance in the Bears' preseason finale against the Cleveland Browns, where he rushed for 107 yards with one touchdown.[26] The Bears named Howard as their third running back on their depth chart behind veterans Langford and Carey prior to the start of the regular season.[27]

Howard made his professional regular season debut in the Chicago Bears' second game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles after Carey suffered a hamstring injury. He finished the game with three carries for 22 rushing yards and two receptions for nine yards.[28] Howard was named the Bears' starting running back after Langford suffered an ankle injury.[29] On October 2, 2016, Howard earned his first career start against the Detroit Lions and finished the game with 23 carries for 111 rushing yards and three catches for 29 yards as the Bears won 17–14.[30][31] The next game, Howard rushed the ball 16 times for 118 rushing yards and caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in a loss to the Indianapolis Colts. His first career touchdown reception came on a 21-yard pass from Brian Hoyer.[32]

On October 16, Howard had 15 rushing attempts for 45 rushing yards and scored his first career rushing touchdown on a one-yard run during 17–16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.[33] In Week 8, Howard had 26 carries for a season-high 153 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 20–10 win over the Minnesota Vikings.[34][31] He was named the 'NFC's Offensive Player of the Week' for his third game with more than 100 rushing yards against the Vikings.[35][31] On December 4, in Week 13, Howard ran for 117 yards on 32 carries and scored a season-high, and franchise rookie record-tying three rushing touchdowns in a 26–6 win over the San Francisco 49ers.[36][37]

Howard eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, the fifth rookie in team history to reach 1,000 rushing yards (Matt Forte in 2008, Anthony Thomas in 2001, Rashaan Salaam in 1995, and Beattie Feathers in 1934).[38] On December 24, he had his sixth game of the season with over 100 rushing yards: 18 carries for 119 yards in a 41–21 Week 16 loss to the Washington Redskins.[39] In the New Year's Day season finale, Howard had a Bears rookie record seventh 100-yard game, with 23 carries for 135 yards in a loss to Minnesota. Howard finished the season with a Bears rookie record 1,313 rushing yards, second in the league behind fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott.[40][41] His 5.2 yards per carry ranked fifth among NFL running backs in 2016.[42] Howard was later named to the 2017 Pro Bowl as a replacement for injured Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson. Howard joined Gale Sayers as the only Bears rookie running backs to make the Pro Bowl.[43]

2017 season

Howard shared the Bears' backfield with Tarik Cohen in the 2017 season.[44] After disappointing outings of 52 yards against the Atlanta Falcons and seven yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to start the 2017 season, Howard recorded 140 yards and two touchdowns against Pittsburgh in Week 3, including the game-winner in overtime.[45][46][47] After gaining 53 yards against the Green Bay Packers and 76 yards against the Minnesota Vikings in Bears losses, he was asked to carry the ball an NFL-season-high 36 times in Week 6 to support rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky in his second game, which he converted into a career-high 167 yards in the victory over the Baltimore Ravens.[48][49][50] It was the most rushing yards by a Chicago Bear since Matt Forte's 205 in Week 4 of 2011.[51] After recording 65 rushing yards in a 17–3 win over the Carolina Panthers, Howard added 102 yards in Week 8 against New Orleans, and 125 yards in Week 11 against Detroit, joining Le'Veon Bell as the only player with three 125+ yard rushing games on the season.[52][53][54][55] After small outings of only six rushing yards against the Philadelphia Eagles and 38 rushing yards against the San Francisco 49ers, he had 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the 33–7 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 14.[56][57][58] He finished out the 2017 season with 90 rushing yards combined over the last three games. Overall, in the 2017 season, he finished with 1,122 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns to go along with 23 receptions for 125 receiving yards.[59]

2018 season

Going into the 2018 season, Howard and Cohen remained as the main duo in the Bears' backfield.

On September 9, 2018, Howard racked up 82 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards in the season-opening 24–23 loss to the Green Bay Packers.[60] Two weeks later, he scored for the first time of the season in the 16–14 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.[61] On October 28, Howard rushed 22 times for an 81 yards and a touchdown in the 24–10 victory against the New York Jets.[62] The next week, Howard ran in two touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills.[63]

As the 2018 season approached its final stages, Howard's involvement began to increase. In Week 14 against the Los Angeles Rams, Howard rushed for a season-high 101 yards as the Bears won 15-6.[64] In Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings, Howard rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a 24–10 win.[65] Howard finished the season with 935 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns. In addition, he had 20 receptions for 145 receiving yards.[66] The Bears won the NFC North and earned the #3-seed for the NFC Playoffs.[67] In the Wild Card Round against the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 10 carries for 35 yards in his playoff debut, a 16–15 loss.[68]

Howard ended the season with 935 rushing yards on 250 attempts, while his nine touchdowns led the team.[69] He received an overall grade of 70.2 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 37th highest grade among all qualifying running backs.[70]

Philadelphia Eagles

On March 28, 2019, Howard was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles for a 2020 sixth round pick.[71] Howard made his debut with the Eagles in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins. In the game, Howard rushed six times for 44 yards and caught two passes for 11 yards as the Eagles won 32-27.[72] In Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, Howard rushed 15 times for 87 yards and two rushing touchdowns and caught three passes for 28 yards and one receiving touchdown in the 34-27 win.[73] In Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills, Howard rushed a season high 23 times for 96 yards and a touchdown in the 31-13 win.[74] In Week 9 against his former team, the Chicago Bears, Howard rushed 19 times for 82 yards and a touchdown in the 22–14 win.[75] Howard suffered a shoulder injury and did not appear in any games toward the end of the season.[76] In the 2019 season, Howard appeared in ten games and recorded 525 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.[77]

Miami Dolphins

On March 21, 2020, Howard signed a two-year, $9.75 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.[78] He made his debut with the Dolphins in Week 1 against the New England Patriots. During the game, Howard managed to rush eight times for seven yards, but scored the Dolphins' lone touchdown of the 21–11 loss.[79] He was waived on November 16, 2020.[80] For the Dolphins, Howard played in five games and had four touchdowns.

Philadelphia Eagles (second stint)

On November 23, 2020, Howard was signed to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.[81] He was elevated to the active roster on December 5 for the team's week 13 game against the Green Bay Packers, and reverted to the practice squad after the game.[82]

NFL career statistics
Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GPGSAttYdsAvgLngTDRecYdsAvgLngTDFumLost
2016CHI 15132521,3135.26962929810.334121
2017CHI 16162761,1224.1539231255.412011
2018CHI 16152509353.7429201457.318021
2019PHI 1041195254.420610696.920T100
2020MIA 5328331.2841-3-3.0-3010
PHI 217273.9110000.00000
Career64529323,9554.26934836347.634263

Personal life

Howard is the son of Flora Hollis-Williams and Dr. Reginald Bernard "Doc" Howard, a dentist. His father died at the age of 52 on January 31, 2007, of pulmonary fibrosis. Since that date, he has worn a white T-shirt with his father's photo printed on it under his pads for upwards of 80 football games.[83] He is a supporter of the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.[84]

References
  1. Champlin, Drew (December 28, 2015). "Gardendale native, former UAB standout Jordan Howard entering NFL Draft". AL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  2. Carter, Robert (January 2, 2015). "Former Gardendale, UAB star running back Jordan Howard headed to Indiana". North Jefferson News. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  3. "Jordan Howard College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  4. "Jordan Howard Bio - UAB Athletics Official Athletic Site". www.uabsports.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  5. "UAB beats Florida International, 27-24". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 13, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  6. "Jordan Howard". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  7. "Seymour's 2 TDs lead Vanderbilt over UAB 52-24". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 28, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  8. "Jordan Howard". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  9. "Jordan Howard Bio". Indiana University. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  10. "2014 Conference USA Rushing Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  11. Wolken, Dan (October 2, 2015). "UAB transfer Jordan Howard makes a big impact at Indiana". USA Today. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  12. Osterman, Zach (October 2, 2015). "IU's Howard wears his heart on his shirt". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  13. Osterman, Zach (November 14, 2015). "Despite Howard's heroics, IU upset bid 'not enough' against Michigan". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  14. "Jordan Howard 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  15. Carter, Robert (December 29, 2015). "Gardendale's Jordan Howard to skip senior year at Indiana, enter NFL Draft early". North Jefferson News. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  16. "Ten Hoosiers Participate at Pro Day". Indiana Hoosiers Athletics. April 1, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  17. "*Jordan Howard, DS #3 RB, Indiana". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  18. Burke, Chris (April 4, 2016). "2016 NFL Draft Position Rankings". si.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  19. Mayock, Mike (April 25, 2016). "Mayock's top 100 draft prospect rankings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  20. Zierlein, Lance (2016). "Jordan Howard Draft Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  21. "Bears draft RB Jordan Howard". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  22. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  23. "Jordan Howard contract". Overthecap.com. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  24. Mayer, Larry (May 9, 2016). "Bears sign seven draft picks, 10 others". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  25. Perez, Bryan (July 25, 2016). "Bears to host training camp battle between Jeremy Langford, Jordan Howard and Ka'Deem Carey". USA Today. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  26. Phillips, Chris (September 2, 2016). "Bears Rookie Rb Jordan Howard Impresses In Final Preseason Outing". Pro-Football Focus. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  27. Franciscovich, Matt (August 23, 2016). "Bears' RBs outlook: Jeremy Langford or bust in fantasy". NFL.com. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  28. "Bears' Jordan Howard: Posts 22 rushing yards Monday". CBS Sports. September 20, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  29. Rothstein, Michael (September 27, 2016). "Joique Bell joins Bears' backfield in time to face Lions; Kyle Fuller to IR". ESPN. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  30. Rosenbloom, Steve (October 2, 2016). "It's not the win that matters, it's that Bears players such as Jordan Howard starred". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  31. "Jordan Howard 100-Yard Rushing Games | The Football Database". FootballDB.com. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  32. "Chicago Bears at Indianapolis Colts". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 9, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  33. "Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 16, 2016. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  34. "Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears - October 31st, 2016". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  35. Mayer, Larry (November 2, 2016). "Howard wins player of week award". chicagobears.com. Archived from the original on November 5, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  36. "Howard scores 3 TDs, Bears hand 49ers 11th loss in row 26-6". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  37. As of 2019, the other Bears rookies with three rushing touchdowns in a game are Willie Galimore and Rashaan Salaam
  38. Jahns, Adam (December 18, 2016). "Rookie RB Jordan Howard reaches 1,000 yards but would rather win". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  39. "NFL Player Profile: Jordan Howard". NFL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  40. "2016 NFL Rushing & Receiving". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  41. Smith, Michael David (January 3, 2017). "Ezekiel Elliott, Jordan Howard first NFL rookies to finish 1-2 in rushing". Profootballtalk.com. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
  42. "Jordan Howard Advanced Stats and Metrics Profile: Efficiency". PlayerProfiler.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  43. Krinch, Scott (January 11, 2017). "Bears Rookie Running Back Jordan Howard Named To Pro Bowl". Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  44. "2017 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  45. "Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 10, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  46. "Chicago Bears at Tampa Bay Buccaneers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 17, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  47. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 24, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  48. "Chicago Bears at Green Bay Packers". Pro-Football-Reference.com. September 28, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  49. "Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 9, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  50. "Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 15, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  51. "Chicago Bears, 160+ rushing yards, single game". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  52. "2017 season, Weeks 1-11, 125+ rushing yard games". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  53. "Carolina Panthers at Chicago Bears - October 22nd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  54. "Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints". Pro-Football-Reference.com. October 29, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  55. "Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. November 19, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  56. "Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles". Pro-Football-Reference.com. November 26, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  57. "San Francisco 49ers at Chicago Bears - December 3rd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  58. "Chicago Bears at Cincinnati Bengals". Pro-Football-Reference.com. December 10, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  59. "Jordan Howard 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  60. Dickerson, Jeff (September 10, 2018). "Not just another loss: Bears show glimpses of serious potential in 2018". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  61. Inabinett, Mark (September 24, 2018). "State NFL roundup: Jordan Howard, Chicago Bears grind out victory". AL.com. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  62. LeGere, Bob (October 28, 2018). "Howard leads the way for punishing Chicago Bears ground game". Daily Herald. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  63. Mayer, Larry (November 4, 2018). "Game recap: Bears crush Bills 41-9". Chicago Bears. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  64. "Game recap: Bears stop Rams cold in 15-6 win". Chicago Bears. December 9, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  65. "Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings". Pro-Football-Reference.com. December 30, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  66. "Jordan Howard 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  67. "2018 Chicago Bears Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  68. "Wild Card - Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears". Pro-Football-Reference.com. January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  69. Mayer, Larry (February 5, 2019). "Bears 2018 position review: Running back". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  70. "Pro Football Focus: Jordan Howard". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  71. Bergman, Jeremy (March 28, 2019). "Eagles acquire Bears RB Jordan Howard in trade". NFL.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  72. "Jackson shines in Philly return, Eagles beat Redskins 32-27". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  73. "Eagles pick off Rodgers' late pass, beat Packers 34-27". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 26, 2019.
  74. "Philadelphia Eagles run over Buffalo Bills in 31-13 win". www.espn.com. Associated Press. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  75. "Wentz, Howard lead Eagles past Bears 22-14". www.espn.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  76. "Jordan Howard dealing with more than a stinger as he struggles to regain strength in shoulder". Eagles Wire. November 25, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  77. "Jordan Howard 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  78. Florio, Mike (March 21, 2020). "Dolphins announce deals with 10 unrestricted free agents". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  79. "Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots - September 13th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  80. "Miami Dolphins release Jordan Howard after RB played five games". NFL.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  81. McPherson, Chris (November 23, 2020). "Eagles sign RB Jordan Howard to the practice squad". PhiladelphiaEagles.com.
  82. McPherson, Chris (December 5, 2020). "Eagles elevate RB Jordan Howard and DT Raequan Williams". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  83. Jordan Howard: The Other Rookie RB Taking the NFL by Storm, Bleacher Report, Brad Gagnon, December 22, 2016.
  84. Inabinett, Mark. "Emotional Jordan Howard to honor late father in Chicago Bears' game on Sunday". Al.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.