Chicago Bears meet with another possible Jordan Howard replacement

The Chicago Bears have danced around the questions regarding the future of starting running back Jordan Howard since the beginning of 2018.

Most know the situation right now. Howard is a pure runner. He’s about power and vision, grinding defenses down in the old school fashion. Head coach Matt Nagy has reiterated that his new offense doesn’t work like that. No one player is likely to get 20-30 touches in a game including the running back. This presents a problem but that is typically the lone way Howard has been a true force since he arrived in 2016.

He is more dangerous the longer a game goes. When he’s gotten to that 22nd, 23rd, and 24th carry defenses just stop wanting to tackle him and the big runs start to come. It’s a proven NFL strategy that goes back decades. Unfortunately for Howard, his head coach doesn’t like that style of attack. He prefers spreading the ball around to weapons who can deliver a big play at the drop of a hat. For all his value, Howard is not that kind of player.

Thus the rumors swirl that the Bears may be scoping the upcoming draft class for possible replacements. One name that just got a bump in that process is Kentucky standout Benny Snell Jr.

UK running back Benny Snell said he met with Chicago Bears and New York Jets, spoke to Jordan Howard. #NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/qnhNIXdbM2
— Al Butler (@ALaboutSports) February 28, 2019

Benny Snell is good but he is also basically a Jordan Howard clone

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Snell was a monster for the Wildcats in 2018. He ran for over 1,400 yards and scored a whopping 16 touchdowns. There was no question he was the engine that drove their unexpected success last season. What stood out most about him was his mixture of toughness, power, and instincts for finding the holes in a defensive front. The problem is these are all traits that Howard already has. Snell is essentially the same type of back, just younger.

Snell has neither the athleticism nor the speed that a lot of teams hope to find in featured backs. There’s no way a person can say he’d be a great fit in Nagy’s offense either. He only caught 29 total passes in his college career. None of them resulting in a touchdown with an average of just 7.4 yards per catch. This is not what people have in mind regarding a true fit for this system.

Could Snell instead be a late-round option in the draft? Somebody who can fill Howard’s role as the “thunder” to Tarik Cohen’s “lightning”? Don’t forget that Howard is a free agent in 2020. The odds of the Bears paying him a new contract are remote. A better strategy, presuming they can’t find a true upgrade, would be to have a player of Howard’s similar skill to step in once he’s gone. Outside of that, it’s uncertain what this means.

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