How the signing of Jordan Howard transforms the Eagles rushing attack

The Jordan Howard to Philadelphia storyline began its circulation after the big Bears back fell out of favor in Chicago at the behest of new Head Coach Matt Nagy. The writing on the wall was a not-so-well hidden secret ever since the Bears took jitterbug Tarik Cohen in the 2017 draft and were then linked to now Cleveland RB Kareem Hunt and superstar Le'Veon Bell before he signed with the New York Jets. With uncertainty swirling in the Eagles backfield, it was becoming obvious that the solution might not be in house. Regardless of the mounting traction churning in the background, seeing Howard in midnight green was never more than a rusting penny in a Broad Street wishing well. That is, until yesterday evening. The news broke that magical Howie Roseman had stolen away Howard from Chicago for nothing more than a sixth-round selection in 2020 (with the possibility of becoming a fifth-rounder) early Thursday evening. With fans in Philadelphia and Chicago collectively double, and triple checking their screens it can be difficult to make sense of the transaction. Why were the Bears so ready to part with a running back with 3,370 yards over his first three professional seasons? How does the power back fit in the Eagles crowded backfield? What does this mean for the other names in that group? The first question can most likely be chalked up to the brilliance of Mr. Roseman and the new age offense that Nagy has installed in Chicago. Still, it seems as if the Bears could have gotten more than a possible fifth-round pick. Nevertheless, Philly fans aren't complaining and are ready to reap the rewards of a change of scenery for one of the most productive runners in the last three seasons. Question number two requires a longer answer. After rumors that the Eagles staff were after Bell and Tevin Coleman in free agency, the move for a downhill runner like Howard is a few degrees away from a full one-eighty. The 6'0" 224 pound thoroughbred isn't known for his ability to stretch defenses in the passing game or turn handoffs into long weaving touchdowns. The run game in the City of Brotherly Love suffered dearly in 2018 after finishing third in 2017. Their 1,570 total yards on the ground slid them into a 28th place finish. What was perhaps the most disheartening was the team's tally of 3.9 yards per tote and a long run of 32 yards. The team also mustered only seven runs of 20+ yards and 0 of 40+ all season. Until Darren Sproles returned from injury the whole carousel of players failed to move the meter in the passing game as well. It's more than fair to ask how Howard solves those issues. He has only twenty carries of 20+ yards in his career and is more of a quantity over quality type runner in terms of production. Moreover, his lack of production in the passing game has been well documented and we all know how much Head Coach Doug Pederson likes to get his backs involved in that facet. On the surface Howards fit in the offense is anything but harmonious. It isn't until the cohesion between the big back's skill set and the Eagles offensive scheme are looked at in earnest that the puzzle pieces start to match up. It's not just what Howard brings to the running game, but the possibilities he opens up for the rest of the offense. (Click the pages below to find out how) Inside Zone In 2017, better known as the best year in Eagles history, the offencs ran rampant over unsuspecting opponents with a tantalzing inside zone run scheme headlined by LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi. The exhausting pressure forced on the middle of the defense opened up huge passing lanes down the seam for Zach Ertz and an in-cutting Alshon Jeffery. It also sucked the secondary in for bombs to Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor. Last year we saw a much more lateral rushing attack after Ajayi suffered a season-ending knee injury. Outside zone rushes, while important for the Doug Pederson offense, allow the defense to play a much more spread formation negating the natural spacing of the Philly passing game. Attempts were made to stay true to color with Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams, but results were a mixed bag. Subsequently, the passing game suffered and the offense became very short-pass-centric. The Eagles could not stress the middle of defenses 15-20 yards downfield because opposing linebackers were plenty happy dropping back and letting the defensive line slow the inside runs. Enter Jordan Howard, who is an inside zone running back through and through. He ran it in college, he ran it in Chicago and he will damn sure run it in Philadelphia. Case in point:

https://twitter.com/ItStillMeBen76/status/1111427205286903815

Howard is at his best when the offensive line can force the defense to move laterally and he can pick his lane and get moving downhill. This was something missing from the Birds' rushing attack last season. Wendell Smallwood, despite surprising with a new found burst of energy in 2018, is much more effective with clearly defined running lanes. Josh Adams, while exciting to watch, has an awful habit of bouncing every run to the outside in the face of the smallest bit of resistance. He also labored to follow his lineman and didn't seem to quite grasp the complexity of Pederson's intricate run scheme. While Howard will hit the edge on occasion, his first thought is always to run behind his blocks and get vertical. He is also a very intelligent player who had little trouble adjusting to a Nagy-run offense that has a lot in common with Doug Pederson's own. Both coaches come from an Andy Reid run Kansas City/ Philadelphia offense. Both schemes are zone-based and feature a ton of pulls, whams and moving pieces. The former Bears back should slide in seamlessly and instantly upgrade the inside zone attack. He has fantastic vision and pairs it with patience and a noticeable understanding of his blocking scheme. The two most important pieces in an inside zone scheme are the center and the running back. Howard joins a team with arguably the best center in all of football. It will be incredibly fun to watch he and Jason Kelce attack the middle of opposing defenses. Outside Zone and Shotgun Runs While discussing what Howard brings to the Eagles rushing attack, let's dispel some fallacies. One of the biggest concerns with his insertion into Doug Pederson's scheme is his inability to create yards when moving laterally -- namely on outside zone and stretch runs. In reality, his vision and patience lend very well to both types of run. Below is a chart outlining what happens when the man is confined to inside rushes. It comes from a 2018 game after Nagy had made a stark decision to keep Howard in the middle and let Cohen cover the outside and passing game.

Compare that to the charts below, filled with outside runs. The first shows a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have not had a stout run defense over the last few years. So, included below that is a chart depicting a game against a very good Minnesota run defense. The guy can run outside people. It's not just speed that wins to the outside. Howard is the embodiment of that premise.

Moreover, there is a worry that Howard won't take to running out of shotgun. In fact, he was more efficient from the shotgun (4.3 ypc) than when the quarterback was under center (3.1 ypc) last season -- both stats per Player Profiler. He did so despite 26th ranked run blocking efficiency. Smallwood and Adams received the 11th and 5th best blocking efficiency on their runs, respectively. Yards Created This is another area the Eagles struggled to produce with consistency. Adams was electric out of the gate in that regard but fizzled once defenses learned to force him through the middle. Wendell has never been a tackle-breaking force and the same could be said about Corey Clement. Jordan Howard, on the other hand:

https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1111434076806737920

How does this solve the Eagles rushing game woes? Besides providing a morale boost by demolishing half-assed tackle attempts, it strangely should provide a boost to the team's 20+ yard runs. In 2017, the back that led the team in runs of more than 20 yards was none other than LeGarrette Blount, who registered a total of 7. The reason: he was able to make the first man miss. Philadelphia features a formidable front line on offence. They will afford running backs all the opportunities in the world to make plays. However, the success of the run game is getting the runner one-on-one with a linebacker, safety or corner in an alley. Pederson habitually leaves defenders unblocked in order to confuse defences and open up lanes behind them with infamous run-pass-option plays. Therefore, in order for the train to keep a rollin' the team requires some broken tackles. There's a reason why Sproles had instant success in his return to the offence. He makes defenders miss. Howard runs them over.

https://twitter.com/Eagles/status/1111430558322556928

Diving into the numbers: in 2017 Howard created 394 yards for himself according to Player Profiler. His numbers dropped off in 2018 due to usage (60.7% opportunity share in 2017; 55.6% in 2018). However, before his carry share took a tumble, he self-created 124 yards in the first six weeks of the season. That averages out to 372 yards over the season, which is a far cry than the actual 160 he ended the year with. It means that on any given run, we can expect Howard to add approximately 1.4 yards per carry to anything the blocking in front of him permits. The reason why this is so important becomes obvious when looking at the Eagles' offensive line efficiency. According to Football Outsiders, Philadelphia's offensive line accounted for 4.14 adjusted line yards, but only received 4.12 from their running back (based on efficiency). Therefore, the boys up front blocked better than the production from the running backs showed. Risking oversimplification, based on blocks, the Eagles lost 0.02 yards per carry in 2018. Howard has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over his first three years. He's rarely stuffed behind the line of scrimmage and consistently runs for short, efficient gains. It's rough, but add 4.14 ALY to the 1.4 self-made yards and you end up close to the 5.2 YPC Howard averaged in his first season in the NFL. Red Zone The final and perhaps most obvious way the new addition helps the rushing attack is in the red zone. After being the second most efficient team in football in 2017, with a 64.06% success rate inside the 20, the offence's efficiency fell to only 59.02% (17th) last season. Interestingly enough, they had more rushing touchdowns in the red zone last year than the year before. That was simply because teams were not afraid of the Eagles pounding it into the end zone. With a quick glimpse at the stats below, you can see why.

	< 20		< 10		< 5
	Atts	TDs	Atts	TDs	Atts	TDs
J. Howard	35	9	20	8	11	6
J. Adams	18	2	13	2	5	1
J. Ajayi	11	3	7	2	3	2
W. Smallwood	15	3	5	3	2	2
C. Clement	16	2	3	1	1	1

Howard scored almost as many red zone touchdowns in 2018 as the entire Eagles team, despite nearly half the carries. He was especially efficient closer to the end zone, where Philadelphia struggled even more. There are huge changes coming in 2019. Expect the Eagles to pound the football this season. Passing Game The addition of Jordan Howard already seems like a slam dunk simply based on what he bring to the running game. He couldn't possibly improve the passing attack -- snicker. It's already been explained what a successful inside rushing attack can add to the passing lanes in Doug Pederson's offence (or any offence for that matter). So what can Howard bring to the passing game individually? First, his inefficiency as a pass catcher has been grossly oversold. He infamously had troubles with drops early in his career, leading the league in 2016 and tallying another six in 2017. That number fell to one last season. Here are his numbers compared to the other backs on the Eagles' current roster:

	Drops	Targets	Catch Rate	Drop Rate
J. Howard 2017	6	32	71.9%	18.8%
J. Howard 2018	1	27	74.1%	3.7%
J. Adams 2018	2	13	53.8%	13.4%
W. Smallwood 2018	3	35	80.0%	8.6%
C. Clement 2017	2	15	66.7%	13.3%
C. Clement 2018	0	25	88.0%	0%

Aside from Clement's outstanding numbers in 2018, what the numbers prove is that Jordan Howard's pass catching is on par with what the Eagles expect from their running backs. He's better than Adams and about as efficient as Wendell Smallwood. In terms of play making after the catch, he doesn't bring as much to the table because of his speed and agility. However, the idea that he is a liability is distorted. What he does add to the equation that the others don't is pass blocking. Clement was counted upon to be the Eagles' feature pass-blocking back. Then he got injured. In his time on the field, Corey held his own, but isn't the same imposing blocker that Howard is. The former Bear is one of the league's premier pass-blocking backs, which will be a more-than-welcome addition to the backfield rotation. The Eagles rarely dropped into six-man blocking protections because Smallwood and Adams could not be counted on to pick up blitzes. No more. Now with DeSean Jackson taking the top off defenses and Howard watching his tail, Carson Wentz can step back and sling it -- the thing he loves to do the most. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports