The Eagles are reportedly adding Jordan Howard to the practice squad after the Dolphins decided to release him.

You’ll recall the Birds traded a sixth rounder to Chicago last summer to acquire Howard on an expiring deal. He didn’t feature much until week three, when he began see double digit carries after only running the ball 14 times total over the first two games.

Those snaps steadily increased to a point where he did this in the final two games before the shoulder/stinger injury that knocked him out for the rest of the year:

  • at Buffalo: 23 carries, 96 yards, touchdown, 4.2 yards per rush
  • vs. Chicago: 19 carries, 82 yards, touchdown, 4.3 yards per rush

 

He was rolling before the injury, and the Eagles won both of those games in atypical fashion, running the ball more than 30 times. In the Buffalo win, the Birds pounded the rock 41 times and only threw 24 passes.

The reason I mention this is because there was a big “what if” surrounding the Howard injury. What if he didn’t get hurt? Would Doug have continued to run the ball and take the burden off a struggling Carson Wentz’s shoulders?

I don’t know what Howard has left in the tank. He ran the ball only 28 times for 33 yards in Miami, but the majority of those runs were at the goal line, which is why he only has a 1.2 average on the season. He did end up with four touchdowns and does fit a need for the Birds, who don’t have a downhill, between-the-tackles runner. The Dolphins appear to be just fine with Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed and have now won five games in a row.

So it’s a no-risk move bringing back Howard, just as an insurance policy. He has to pass COVID testing before he can see the field, so he’s not eligible for Sunday, and with Corey Clement is currently unavailable on the COVID/reserve list the Birds are gonna be thing in Cleveland.

The preferred course of action, in my mind, would be to give Miles Sanders more touches, but it seems like we’re stuck with him only getting the ball 16-18 times per game, despite the fact that he’s averaging six yards per run in 2020. Feels like they need a bigger-bodied complement for Sanders moving forward.