One thing about the Jordan Howard trade last year? There was hardly unanimous opinions on it. Plenty of Chicago Bears fans felt sending the former Pro Bowler on his way was necessary. The team wasn’t in a position to give him a long-term deal. Trading him for something in return seemed logical. Especially since it can be so easy to replace running backs in the NFL. Others feel dumping Howard was rash as it threatened to remove what was the clear beating heart of the entire Bears ground attack.
Former guard Kyle Long appears to fall into the latter category. He appeared on the ESPN 1000 radio program as a co-host with David Kaplan to discuss the Bears. The subject of their 27th ranked running game soon became a topic. After beating around the bush for most of the time on-air, Long finally relented when speaking to callers. He admitted that while David Montgomery has a bright future, the offense clearly lost something when Howard left.
“I will say we missed the type of player Jordan Howard was and the identity that was formed when we could run the ball. I think that sentiment is shared across Chicago. Does it mean we gotta go get Jordan Howard? No. Running backs? They’re going to be there. As we saw in the Super Bowl…
…So if we can get a running back and I think David Montgomery is not the wrong answer. David’s a heck of a runner and as you alluded to, he’s a rookie. It’s going to take some development but he’s a tough kid and I do not see a future that he does not have success.”
Jordan Howard trade did push Bears away from pounding
He’s not wrong. If one looks back at 2018, the identity became clear through the second half of that season. In the first nine games, Howard had at least 15 carries in a game just three times. They were 6-3 in those games. Over the final seven games? He did it five times. They were 6-1 during that stretch. It became clear when the offensive focus became heavy doses of Howard that the Bears well and truly started to click.
When you take that element away? It’s going to result in change.
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Montgomery was a strong runner and undeniably tough. However, he lacked the feel and nuance Howard had developed as the starter dating back to 2016. Nevermind the reality that a struggling offensive line only made things harder. Howard was no longer there to help cover up some of their issues. While there are plenty of reasons the Bears offense regressed so much last season, it’s hard to deny missing the steadiness of Howard was a core factor.
