Howie Gets a RB

Posted: March 28th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

The wait is over. The Eagles have added a RB.

Young. Durable. Productive. Oh yeah…and talented.

This gives the Eagles their best RB heading into a season in several years. They now have the makings of a pretty dynamic offense.

Here is what I said about him in a recent post.

Trading for Howard would make sense financially. He’s under contract for 2019 for just under $2.1M. That’s cheap for someone who can be a workhorse RB.

Howard is 225 pounds and he’s averaged 260 carries a year. He is a tough, physical back. He might remind you of a healthier, more durable version of Jay Ajayi.

One concern with Howard would be his ability as a receiver. The Eagles prefer complete RBs. Howard has never caught more than 29 passes in a season. To put that in perspective, Wendell Smallwood caught 28 passes last year.

I would have interest in Howard, but only at the right price. The Eagles could use a big, physical runner, but you can’t overpay for him due to his contract situation. You’re only guaranteed to have Howard for one more season.

There is also the question of use. The Eagles like to use a group of RBs. Howard averages 16.6 carries per game for his career. It doesn’t seem likely that he would get nearly that much work with the Eagles. That has to be factored in when thinking about his value.

If you could pair Howard with Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood and/or a rookie, you could have a good set of RBs. As we see with the Patriots and the 2017 Eagles, you don’t need a star RB. You need the right group of RBs.

The compensation was reasonable.

If Howard has a great season, you’re fine giving up the fifth rounder. If you only have to give up a sixth, that’s even better. While you would rather have a player who is signed long term, there is an interesting angle. If the Eagles lose Howard in free agency, they could possibly get a comp pick in return for him.

If Howard turns out to be a good fit, the Eagles could look at re-signing him.

This isn’t a perfect move, but it does make a lot of sense. The team now has a lot of freedom in the draft. They can still add a RB if they want to, but there is no pressure to add a starting-caliber RB with Howard already in place.

It is exciting to add a talented RB to this offense.

Howard lacks great speed. He isn’t going to make dynamic cuts. He will hit the hole and run over defenders. He can make some guys miss so he’s not just LeGarrette Blount Part II. Howard has run for 6, 9 and 9 TDs in his three seasons. He is very good in the Red Zone, something all teams need. If Howard can develop into a solid receiver, he could be terrific for the Eagles.

One thing you can’t argue with…Howard’s production.

The Eagles have not had a durable RB in a few years. It would be nice to have someone out there, play after play, game after game.

The Eagles will still do a lot of Running Back By Committee. They believe in that approach. If Corey Clement can come back healthy, that would give the Eagles a good 1-2 punch at RB. I still think they’ll add a rookie. And then we’ll see what Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, Boston Scott and Donnel Pumphrey can do.

We knew Howie Roseman had another move to make. He wasn’t going into the 2019 season without adding a serious talent at RB. Now he’s done that and the Eagles have one impressive offense.

*****

Speaking of adding weapons…

Joking aside, Rodgers is a good #3 TE. This gives the Eagles more quality depth. They still could take a TE, but I only think that would be a late pick.

Good day for the Eagles.

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2 Comments on “Howie Gets a RB”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Jordan Howard trade earns positive reviews for Philadelphia – Bleeding Green Nation | Everyday News Update said at 8:23 AM on March 29th, 2019:

    […] Howie Gets a RB – Iggles BlitzHoward lacks great speed. He isn’t going to make dynamic cuts. He will hit the hole and run over defenders. He can make some guys miss so he’s not just LeGarrette Blount Part II. Howard has run for 6, 9 and 9 TDs in his three seasons. He is very good in the Red Zone, something all teams need. If Howard can develop into a solid receiver, he could be terrific for the Eagles. The Eagles have not had a durable RB in a few years. It would be nice to have someone out there, play after play, game after game. The Eagles will still do a lot of Running Back By Committee. They believe in that approach. If Corey Clement can come back healthy, that would give the Eagles a good 1-2 punch at RB. I still think they’ll add a rookie. And then we’ll see what Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, Boston Scott and Donnel Pumphrey can do. […]

  2. 2 妈妈易妈妈网 said at 9:33 AM on March 30th, 2019:

    隔三差五来一趟，每次都有新气象！