Hoosiers at the Next Level: Jordan Howard, RB, Chicago Bears
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Jordan Howard scores a touchdown against Iowa in 20156 Image: Cam Koenig Hoosier Huddle
Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)
Jordan Howard | Chicago Bears | RB
Jordan Howard’s only college offer out of high school was from the University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB). The two-star recruit who went unnoticed had back-to-back outstanding seasons at UAB before the school suddenly shut down football operations. Forced to transfer, Howard found a home in Bloomington. Former running backs coach Deland McCullough, now with the Kansas City Chiefs, enticed Howard to continue his collegiate career at IU. The timing was perfect because McCullough needed a runner capable of replacing Tevin Coleman. Howard proved he was more than capable of filling the void shortly after he arrived on campus.
His lone season at Indiana was a memorable one. Howard lived up to the hype and added more credibility to Indiana’s recent nickname: RBU (an abbreviation for Running Back University). He produced absurd numbers on the field, pacing a prolific offense and helping lead IU to their first bowl berth in eight years. Howard will be remembered as a true warrior by Hoosier fans. He battled and played through a plethora of injuries during his entire junior season. He was limited to seeing action in just nine games, and was unable to finish a couple contests due to injury. Nothing would stop Jordan Howard from making his mark on the Indiana football program, and continuing a tradition of ultra-productive running backs.
Howard erupted for 1,213 rushing yards and ten total touchdowns for the Hoosiers in 2016. Howard was nearly impossible to bring down in college, listed at 6-foot-1, 230-pounds. He was remarkably patient and packed a serious punch. At times, it looked like Howard was seeking contact just so he could bulldoze a defender. His power running game was built for the Big Ten. Howard was named to both the Doak Walker Award and Maxwell Award Watch Lists. Rival coaches and media honored him with a First Team All-Big Ten nomination. As a Hoosier, Howard recorded two games with more than 200 rushing yards, and three games with over 30 carries. The man is a workhorse, plain and simple. That fact has translated seamlessly to the NFL. Howard left early for the 2016 NFL Draft where he was largely overlooked until the Chicago Bears selected him in the fifth round (150th overall). Chicago knew there was something special about Howard when they drafted him, but no one could have predicted the level of success he would achieve during his first two seasons.
Jordan Howard had a rookie season that will go down in the history books. Despite Chicago’s woes – finishing with a 3-12 record – Howard would become a beacon of hope amidst a grim 2016 campaign. After missing the Bears’ first game of the season, Howard had just 22 yards on three carries in his NFL debut. However, in his third game as a pro, Howard busted out a 111-yard performance in a win against the Detroit Lions. The next game he bested his career-high, logging 118 rushing yards and scoring his first NFL touchdown in just his fourth game as a professional. Howard didn’t stop there. He had seven 100-yard games, totaling 1,313 yards and six touchdowns in his first professional season. He set the Bears franchise rookie record for rushing yards in a season. Howard finished in second place for the NFL’s rushing title and was a bona fide Rookie of the Year candidate. His 5.2 yards per carry average was good enough for fourth in the league. He was also top-ten in yards per game and all-purpose yards. He only fumbled once. Howard was honored with a 2016 Pro Bowl selection, and was named to the 2016 NFL All-Rookie Team.
Howard was also honored off the field when the Bears announced he was a 2016 Piccolo Award winner. Described by Chicago Tribune, The Piccolo Awards are voted on annually by Bears players and given to teammates who show great dedication, loyalty, teamwork, a commitment to excellence and a sense of humor, all qualities embodied by Brian Piccolo, the former Bears running back died of cancer in 1970. The Bears offensive coordinator at the time, Dowell Loggains explained why Howard won the award: “He displays what humility looks like,” Loggains said. “He had a great year and went to the Pro Bowl. But he’s the same kid every day. The success, to this point, has not changed him. He’s started this offseason already working his tail off.” Howard is indeed humble, and his hard work off the field is paying dividends.
Howard was again one of the few bright spots during a trying 2017 Bears’ season where they limped to a 5-11 record while implementing a rookie quarterback. The infamous sophomore slump couldn’t touch Howard. The first game of the season featured a matchup with Tevin Coleman and the Atlanta Falcons. Though the two didn’t share the field in Bloomington, they’ve developed a bond. "We talk a lot," Coleman said in an interview with ESPN. "I was just with him over the offseason. We were chopping it up and chilling. I'm going to need that jersey up off of him, that J. Howard." During the third game of the season, Howard put the team on his back like we’ve seen him do many times before. He exploded for 140 yards and two touchdowns in a huge home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Howard scored the game-winning, walk-off touchdown in overtime with this 19-yard scamper.
As the Chicago Bears transitioned to rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, they became even more of a run-heavy team. Lacking capable wide-receivers, the Bears’ run game was highly predictable. Opponents would constantly stack eight in the box, and Howard still managed to be productive. Chicago’s offensive coordinator offered a thorough assessment of Howard’s development: "He's a much better player right now than he was last year," Dowell Loggains told the Chicago Tribune. "No. 1, he is in much better shape. Last year, he came out of a lot of games and this year we haven't had that issue. It's a credit to him, his offseason conditioning. I think he's seeing the game better. Every rookie takes such a huge jump Year 1 to Year 2. He knows the areas he needed to improve in the run game. He still needs to get better in the pass game. He knows that. He understands defenses a little bit more. He's seeing things cleaner now in the run game."
The Bears relied on Howard’s ability to wear down defenses. He battled through injuries just like he did at IU. He plowed his way toward 1,122 rushing yards on 276 carries with nine touchdowns during the 2017 season. His nine touchdowns were tied for third in the NFL with Leonard Fournette and Le’Veon Bell. Howard ranked fifth in rushing attempts and sixth in rushing yards. Howard is so big and strong, he becomes a better player as the game goes on. Defenses seem to get tired before he does. Howard has a unique dynamic of power and deft footwork that’s allowing him to succeed at the highest level. "He's a big, thick back and you think he's a power or hammer guy," offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said, "But he has such good vision and good feet, and that is where he can stretch (the defense out) and cut so well.”
You’d be hard-pressed to find Jordan Howard ever talk about himself. Following a 147-yard, two-touchdown outing in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Howard immediately credited his teammates and coaching staff. “The O-line, they opened up great holes for me,” Howard said. “Tight ends did a great job. Receivers, they did a great job. Coaches did a great job of (forming) the game plan.” His teammates complimented Howard right back, with Bears’ fullback Michael Burton saying, “He’s such a great back with his vision, that he can help me set up my block and he might not even know he’s doing it,” Howard became the only Bears running back to rush for over 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons. That’s a remarkable achievement considering the great running backs in Chicago’s franchise history: Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Matt Forte, and more.
As a quick aside for Hoosier fans yearning for the days of thousand-yard running backs, IU has some promising horses in the stable. Morgan Ellison proved he belongs in the Big Ten as a true freshman. Injuries hampered an otherwise successful season where Ellison led the team with 704 rushing yards. Listed at 6-foot-1 and 225lbs, Ellison fits the mold of Jordan Howard. There were several times he resembled Howard on the field. With health on his side and an improved offensive line, Ellison could match Howard’s production levels sooner than later. Similarly, incoming Indiana signee Stevie Scott is listed at 6-foot-1 and 240lbs. Scott was rated the 79th best running back in the country per 247, and he too could replicate Howard’s playing style, however he could find himself on the defensive side of the ball at linebacker.
The Chicago Bears have a legitimate franchise cornerstone in Jordan Howard, and now they have a new coaching staff to put him to work. Following the 2017 season, the Bears fired head coach John Fox and ushered in the young and promising Matt Nagy. Nagy was previously the offensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs where quarterback Alex Smith and rookie running back Kareem Hunt had outstanding seasons. Nagy will run a west coast offense in Chicago designed to open up the field. “New coaching staff, I’m definitely excited about that; see what they’re going to do differently,” Howard told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s still going to take getting used to. I’m just hoping to learn something new. Every year I have a new running back coach since college. I think I know a lot, but every coach they always teach me something I don’t know.” The Bears trajectory appears to be pointed in the right direction with Howard leading the way. He will embrace the change and hopes to run wild next year. Jordan Howard will be among the most electrifying Hoosiers in the NFL for many years to come.
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