(670 The Score) Once considered the indispensible workhorse for the Bears, running back Jordan Howard is on the move.
The Bears traded Howard to Philadelphia, the Eagles officially announced. Chicago will acquire a 2020 sixth-round pick that can become a fifth-round slot, ESPN is reporting.
Howard will be traded ahead of the final season of his rookie contract, one in which he was slated to make $2,025,000 in base salary. He is coming of a relatively disappointing first season in Matt Nagy's offense, rushing for a career-low 933 yards (3.7 yards per carry) after totaling 2,435 yards his first two seasons in the league.
The Bears signaled their interest in finding a better fit for Nagy's backfield when they admitted to having interest in then-free agent Kareem Hunt, who ultimately signed with the Browns. The team signed veteran running back Mike Davis on the first day of free agency and has actively been exploring options for April's NFL Draft, having hosted a number of prospects at Halas Hall this month.
"When you're dealing with running backs for us in this offense, you want to be able to have a guy that has really good vision that can make guys miss," Nagy said when asked of running backs at the NFL Combine. "At the same time, there's that balance of being a hybrid, being able to make things happen in the pass game, too, but yet to where you're not one-dimensional. And that's not easy."
Without Howard, the Bears' backfield consists of Davis, Tarik Cohen and very likely the replacement to Howard in the form of a rookie to be selected next month.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
