Fair to say that the 2019 NFL calendar didn't go as planned for Jordan Howard.
To start, he was dumped by the Bears for a sixth-round pick even though the gritty running back rushed for 3,370 yards in his first three seasons and cost Chicago next to nothing in terms of salary.
And then, his health failed him.
He appeared in just 10 games for the Eagles due to a lingering stinger that left his arm numb.
But buried in that trash was a bit of treasure:
Howard, when on the field, was still as imposing as ever.
He was the league's eighth-most efficient rusher, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Howard averaged just 3.5 yards traveled per yard gained, which was better than only these seven: Gus Edwards, Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, Tony Pollard, Raheem Mostert, and Ezekiel Elliott
In other words, he runs north-south with no wasted motion.
And that's exactly how the Dolphins, who signed Howard to a two-year, $9.8 million contract, plan to use him.
"The more I played, I felt like that was the best style for me," Howard said recently of his tough, determined running style. "That's what works best for me. I'm not a make-you-miss guy. I can make people miss sometimes, but that's not really my game. I stick to what I know. I've always just loved watching Marshawn Lynch run. The way he ran, the way he fought for every yard, he made it a struggle for the defenders to bring him down."
Howard definitely has a little Beast Mode in him, as evidenced by his 897 carries and 3,895 yards since 2016, both third in football behind Elliott and Todd Gurley.
And that was still the case before his injury in 2019, when he averaged 4.4 yards per carry. But even when he was cleared to play, the Eagles used exceeding caution. He was on the field for just one snap in the Eagles' Week 17 win over the Giants and didn't play in their Wild Card loss to Seattle.
"I'm back to 100% now," Howard said. "It took a while, but I'm finally back to being 100% and can't wait to get back to playing football."
He immediately becomes the Dolphins' top option at running back _ which is less impressive once you consider Ryan Fitzpatrick led them in rushing in 2019.
Howard said his role wasn't discussed with the Dolphins during his abbreviated free agency, and most expect them to select a running back early in the 2020 NFL Draft, with Georgia's D'Andre Swift and Ohio State's J.K. Dobbins real options for Miami.
"I'm never scared of competition," Howard said. "Competition makes everyone better, so I embrace competition."
His career has been based on it.
Howard was just a two-star recruit out of Gardendale (Alabama) High School. Alabama-Birmingham was his only scholarship offer, according to Rivals. But he quickly proved recruiters wrong, starring immediately for the Blazers. Howard set the school single-season rushing record his sophomore year (with 1.587 yards).
That was also the last year before UAB shut down its football program. As a result, Howard transferred to Indiana, where he rushed for 1,213 yards in 2015 before declaring for the NFL Draft.
The Bears took him in the fifth round, and he again overachieved, rushing for 1,313 yards as a rookie and then 1,122 more in Year 2.
He was still solid in his third season, but the Bears believed that they were best-suited with Tarik Cohen as their featured back and unloaded Howard to the Eagles for a sixth-round pick.
After one disappointing season in Philadelphia, he gets another fresh start with the Dolphins. But he better produce.
He signed a two-year deal on paper, but in reality it's a one-year, $4.8 million guaranteed contract with a second-year team option for $5 million. The Dolphins can walk away from Howard after 2020 with no cap liability. How so? By giving him a $3 million roster bonus in instead of a signing bonus.
"I just thought it was a good opportunity for me," Howard said. "I feel like this is an up-and-coming team. I've heard from people about the exciting things they are doing. I know a lot of people were trying to say they were trying to not be competitive last year but they beat a few good teams last year late in the season. I definitely feel like this is a team that's on the rise."
