Storyline: Jordan Howard’s performance last year was the best rushing display by a Bears’ player since Walter Payton was in uniform.
Here are Jordan Howard’s numbers: 1,313 rushing yards. 252 attempts, and 5.21 yards per carry. That’s what Howard produced during his first season in a Bears’ uniform.
Courtesy: Chicago Sun-Times
It’s the most impressive rookie performance for a RB in Bears’ history. But there’s more of a story. Howard broke a string of other records, not just for a rookie, but for the Bears all-time: most yards, best per carry average (with Gale Sayers), and seven 100-yard games. So Howard’s numbers weren’t just the best on record for a Bears’ rookie, his productivity was one of the best performances in Bears’ history. Period.
Matt Forte, who played for the Bears from 2008 to 2015, is the 2nd most productive running back in Bears’ history. He rushed for more than 1,300 yards one time (2013), but he needed 37 more carries to gain 26 more yards than Howard had last year.
Matt Forte never topped 4.9 yards per carry in his career, but Howard set the record appearing in only 14 games, two fewer than Forte’s portfolio during his rookie season and, later, in 2013. Gale Sayers never topped 1,300 yards. His career high was 1,231. Neal Anderson (the 3rd all-time Bears’ rusher) also never topped 1,300 yards in a season.
Courtesy: walterpayton.info
Walter Payton was a different story, but (then, again) he was a top-5 player in NFL history. Payton topped 1,300 yards 9 times in his NFL career and he averaged 5.5 per carry in 1977. Howard’s rookie season was the best rushing effort by a Bear since Walter Payton’s output in 1986.
How does Howard’s numbers compare with the rest of the NFL? The Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott was the top rookie rusher. Elliott had 1,600+ yards on 320+ attempts. But let’s face it: Elliott averaged 5.1 yards per carry as he ran behind the NFL’s best offensive line on one of the NFL’s best teams. Howard, on the other hand, had a mediocre offensive line riddled with injuries and a rotating door at quarterback. The Bears went 3-13, the 3rd worst team in the NFL.
Howard still managed to fight his way for 1,313 yards. That’s seriously impressive for a 5th Round draft pick. What’s more impressive? Is it Elliot’s 1600+ yards behind a great line on a great team? Or is it Howard’s 1,313 yards on a poor team?
No matter your answer, it’s fact that Jordan Howard’s 2016 performance was the best rushing display by a Bears’ player since Walter Payton was in uniform.
It will be interesting to see what he can do as a starter over a full season. If his productivity continues, Howard could establish himself as a Top Ten, even a Top Five, running back.
Can you say BIGGEST STEAL IN THE 2016 NFL DRAFT?
I can. I will.
