Chicago Bears: Why Jordan Howard will be voted a top-100 player in 2017

Nov 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard (24) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 27, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard (24) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard (24) has a pass broken up by Detroit Lions middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead (59) in the first quarter at Soldier Field. Pass interference was called on the play against Detroit. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports /

Howard will be more involved in the passing game

After struggling to catch the ball his rookie year, look for Howard to improve this season

The one glaring flaw in Howard’s game—one that the league surely noticed—was that he didn’t catch the ball well out of the backfield last year.

As such, one can bet he’s putting in the time to get better at it. And he needs to.

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On 50 targets last year, Howard only caught 29 and dropped eight, which led all running backs. Every-down backs ideally don’t have drop rates of 16%. Ultimately, that meant more time on the field for Jeremy Langford, who didn’t play particularly well in 2016. As such, the offense suffered.

No one expects Howard to suddenly become Matt Forte, but improvement shouldn’t be too much to ask. He’s clearly the best back on the team even without great ball skills and is an instinctive, powerful runner. Get him the ball more often in space with room to operate? That could destroy opposing defenses. His lone receiving touchdown against the Colts and his huge reception against the Vikings showed that.

If he catches 40-50 passes this year, the Bears’ offense will be far more dangerous. And the league will have to reckon with the emergence of Howard as a more complete running back.

Next: Chicago Bears shut out of NFL Top 100

Assuming Howard gets the number of touches he deserves per game, the Bears will be a better team than they were a year ago even as a rebuilding squad. And with him at the helm of that improvement, he’ll earn the respect he should’ve already gotten from his peers.

Ready or not, he’s coming.