Chicago Bears: 15 greatest running backs of all time

I will always have a soft spot in my heart for Jordan Howard. He came into the NFL as a fifth-round pick in 2016, starting his career as the third guy on the depth chart for the Bears. Very quickly, though, the coaching staff saw how good he was and plugged him in as the starter by Week 4 of his rookie year.

During a dark time for Bears fans, it was Howard who became the bright spot. I don’t think there was a single fan out there who enjoyed having John Fox as head coach — not to mention Dowell Loggains as offensive coordinator. The Bears were not a good team from 2016 to 2017, and Howard was one of the very few players who garnered a lot of attention from the fans.

The narrative around Howard, which is still being written as his career continues, is the lack of productivity in the passing game. Howard has never been strong in that aspect. But, in terms of a thoroughbred running back, Howard has been a very good back in this league.

Even though he played just three seasons with the Bears, Howard still ranks No. 7 on the Bears’ all-time rushing list with 3,370 yards. He came to the team with question marks out of Indiana. Transferring from UAB in 2015, Howard ran for over 1,200 yards in nine games with the Hoosiers. Still, he was only a fifth-round pick, yet earned the starting job in his rookie season.

Howard will always be one of those mid-round picks which Ryan Pace hangs his hat on. Pace has done a tremendous job in those middle rounds over the years, and Howard is forever one of his best picks.