Chicago shipped Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2020 sixth-round pick on Thursday night, the Eagles announced. Conditions in the trade could flex that selection to a 2020 fifth-round pick.
Howard had been rumored as trade bait since before the 2018 season, as Tarik Cohen took on a larger role in first-year coach Matt Nagy's offense. In his third season in the Windy City, Howard saw another dip in production as he totaled 935 rushing yards and 3.7 yards per carry. When Chicago signed former Seahawks running back Mike Davis in free agency, the writing looked to be on the wall.
Related players: Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis, Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood
This is a significant fantasy move for both teams since Howard is now the favorite to lead the Eagles in carries and his absence in Chicago opens up major work for Tarik Cohen and Mike Davis. Howard had a down season (935 yards rushing on 3.74 YPC) in 2018 after averaging 1,218 yards (on 4.61 YPC) in his first two seasons. It's a low-risk move for the Eagles since Howard is still on his rookie deal. He's not likely to catch many passes, though his hands were better in 2018 (77% catch rate, a career-high). Howard's arrival throws cold water on the rest of Philadelphia's committee (Clement, Adams and Smallwood). In Chicago, this is big news for both Tarik Cohen and Mike Davis, but especially Davis, who is likely to take over the bulk of the 15.6 carries per game (and short-yardage work) that Howard has vacated. Davis also showed some passing game chops last year in Seattle, so the Chicago offense won't be as easy predict with Davis replacing Howard in the backfield.
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