Former Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard is heading to the Big Easy.
The veteran rusher has been signed to the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad, according to the NFL’s October 12 waiver wire.
A fifth-round draft pick for Chicago in 2016, Howard has played for the Bears (2016-18), the Philadelphia Eagles (2019, 2020-2021) and the Miami Dolphins (2020) so far over his career. The Saints will be his fourth team.
Chicago traded Howard to the Eagles in 2019 in exchange for a 2020 sixth-round pick. He signed a two-year, $9.75 million deal the following year with the Dolphins, but his stay in Miami turned out to be a brief one. The Dolphins waived him in November of 2020 after he appeared in just five games, and he landed in Philly for a second stint after that.
Now, he’ll get another opportunity with the Saints.
Jordan Howard’s Best Seasons Were With the Bears
Howard played in 47 games for the Bears (44 starts), finishing with 778 carries for 3,370 yards and 24 rushing touchdowns over his three seasons in the Windy City (stats via Pro Football Reference).
Howard, who turns 28 years old on November 2, made the Pro Bowl as a rookie with the Bears in 2016 after rushing for 1,313 yards (5.2 yards per carry) while scoring seven total touchdowns. It remains the best statistical season of his career.
He had 1,000-yard seasons his first two years in Chicago, and he rushed for 935 yards and a team-high nine TDs his final year with the Bears in 2018. Former head coach Matt Nagy favored speed on offense, though, which wasn’t the 6-foot, 224-pound back’s strong suit, so Howard was traded after Nagy’s first season.
He never went on to have the kind of numbers he had in Chicago again in his career.
Howard Has Been Grinding in Recent Years
A shoulder injury sidelined Howard for some time in both 2019 and 2020, and he missed a few games with a neck issue in 2021, but he hasn’t suffered any career-altering injuries, just nagging ones.
The veteran RB hasn’t played more than seven games in each of the past two seasons, and last year, he failed to make an active roster, getting released by the Eagles as part of their final roster cuts. He admitted it was a difficult pill to swallow.
“I had a great offseason. Probably my best offseason so far,” Howard told the Eagles’ official website in November of 2021.
“Going into Training Camp, I told myself, ‘If I don’t make the team it wouldn’t be because I didn’t do well, it would be because of the numbers game or whatever,'” Howard added. “I felt like I put in the work. Things didn’t go my way, but that’s life. Things aren’t always going to go your way. You’re always going to have adversity. It’s just how you respond to it.”
The Eagles signed Howard to their practice squad last season, and he was eventually elevated to their 53-man roster. He wound up playing in seven games and finished with 86 rushes for 406 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and three scores.
We’ll see if he cracks the Saints’ roster soon.
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Ex-Bears Pro Bowl Starter Signs With Saints