The , a winle s team dealing with myriad injuries, got dealt another blow during their Sunday
Brendan Perlini Men Jersey night lo s to the . Starting running back , , will mi s four to six weeks with what coach John Fox But that might not be a bad thing for the Bears, because -- finally -- they'll be forced to play the best back on their roster. Though he has hardly played in his three-game career, rookie appears to have an actual shot at supplanting Langford and replacing long-time Bears back , who departed for the in free agency this spring.That's due to a combination of factors. The first is Langford's ineffectivene s before suffering that sprained ankle and the second is how effective Howard has looked when given a chance. Let's start with Langford, the Bears' fourth-round pick a year ago. Though most fans came away impre sed with his rookie season, when he filled in for an injured Forte, his numbers weren't in any way gaudy. As I wrote when the Bears threw an offer at running back this offseason, He wasn't productive. Langford not only averaged just 3.6 yards per carry last season, but he also averaged a league-worst 2.7 yards per carry against base defenses, according to .
Josh Archibald Women Jersey He dealt with a case of the drops. Per Langford dropped seven pa ses, despite being targeted just 42 times. Those drops sometimes came in crucial situations. Langford hasn't flashed improvement so far in his second season. After the first three games, he leads the team in carries with
Barrett Hayton Men Jersey 31, yet he has gained only 116 yards off those carries, averaging 3.7 yards per carry. It's true that the Bears' offensive line has struggled and deserves some of the blame for Langford's struggles, but it's also true that Langford himself hasn't done much of anything to secure the starting role.Howard has, at least, flashed potential. A fifth-round pick this year, Howard has just 12 carries through the first three games, but he's averaging 5.6 yards per clip. He's also outperforming Langford in the pa sing game, catching six pa ses for 56 yards compared to Langford's five receptions for 27 yards.If statistics aren't your thing, the eye test also confirms Howard's potential. He looks more athletic, hits the hole hard and he's difficult to bring down. Consider that Howard is averaging 2.8 yards after contact, which is a full yard better than Langford's average a year ago, according to Pro Football Focus.This shouldn't come as a surprise. When the Bears drafted Howard, it's the first thing that came to mind.Jeremy Langford averaged 1.8 yards after contact per attempt in '15. Jordan Howard had
Christian Dvorak Women Jersey the highest average in this draft cla s (per ). Sean Wagner-McGough (@seanjwagner) It's incredibly early in both players' careers,
Victor Soderstrom Kids Jersey so this isn't intended to anoint Howard as the Bears' savior or Langford as a disappointment. But the point is, the Langford injury will finally force the Bears to give Howard the reps he deserves. And in an already lost season, that's incredibly important, because it gives the Bears some valuable time to evaluate Howard's long-term value to a team that lacks players with long-term value. With that being said, the Bears signed ex-Lions running back on Tuesday, which makes sense considering is also dealing with an injury. So, don't expect Howard to rack up 25 carries this weekend. But even 15 carries might be enough for Howard to separate himself from the rest of the Bears' backfield.
