How the signing of Jordan Howard transforms the Eagles rushing attack

Inside Zone

In 2017, better known as the best year in Eagles history, the offencs ran rampant over unsuspecting opponents with a tantalzing inside zone run scheme headlined by LeGarrette Blount and Jay Ajayi. The exhausting pressure forced on the middle of the defense opened up huge passing lanes down the seam for Zach Ertz and an in-cutting Alshon Jeffery. It also sucked the secondary in for bombs to Torrey Smith and Nelson Agholor. Last year we saw a much more lateral rushing attack after Ajayi suffered a season-ending knee injury. Outside zone rushes, while important for the Doug Pederson offense, allow the defense to play a much more spread formation negating the natural spacing of the Philly passing game.

Attempts were made to stay true to color with Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams, but results were a mixed bag. Subsequently, the passing game suffered and the offense became very short-pass-centric. The Eagles could not stress the middle of defenses 15-20 yards downfield because opposing linebackers were plenty happy dropping back and letting the defensive line slow the inside runs.

Enter Jordan Howard, who is an inside zone running back through and through. He ran it in college, he ran it in Chicago and he will damn sure run it in Philadelphia. Case in point:

Howard is at his best when the offensive line can force the defense to move laterally and he can pick his lane and get moving downhill. This was something missing from the Birds’ rushing attack last season. Wendell Smallwood, despite surprising with a new found burst of energy in 2018, is much more effective with clearly defined running lanes. Josh Adams, while exciting to watch, has an awful habit of bouncing every run to the outside in the face of the smallest bit of resistance. He also labored to follow his lineman and didn’t seem to quite grasp the complexity of Pederson’s intricate run scheme.

While Howard will hit the edge on occasion, his first thought is always to run behind his blocks and get vertical. He is also a very intelligent player who had little trouble adjusting to a Nagy-run offense that has a lot in common with Doug Pederson’s own. Both coaches come from an Andy Reid run Kansas City/ Philadelphia offense. Both schemes are zone-based and feature a ton of pulls, whams and moving pieces.

The former Bears back should slide in seamlessly and instantly upgrade the inside zone attack. He has fantastic vision and pairs it with patience and a noticeable understanding of his blocking scheme. The two most important pieces in an inside zone scheme are the center and the running back. Howard joins a team with arguably the best center in all of football. It will be incredibly fun to watch he and Jason Kelce attack the middle of opposing defenses.