The Complimentary Styles
Howard and Johnson would bring a very similar impact to the Eagles as Westbrook and Buckhalter did.
For his career, Howard has 3,370 yards rushing and 568 yards receiving. That’s good for 71.7 rushing yards per game and 12.1 receiving yards per game. He also has a 4.3 YPC average.
Johnson has 1,286 yards rushing and 2,170 yards receiving in his career. That averages to 20.1 rushing yards per game and 33.9 receiving yards per game. He also has a 4.3 YPC average.
Combine those totals for 91.8 rushing yards and 46 receiving yards per game for the duo, 137.8 yards from scrimmage per game.
Buckhalter averaged 23.3 rushing yards per game and 15.2 receiving yards per game in his main years with Westbrook. He also had a 4.9 YPC average.
Westbrook averaged 79.2 rushing yards per game and 42.5 receiving yards per game in that same time frame with Buckhalter. He also had a 4.6 YPC average.
Combine those numbers for 160.2 yards from scrimmage per game.
A few other running back duos had nice single season contributions to the Eagles since the Westbrook/Buckhalter combo. Westbrook and LeSean McCoy combined for 1,400 yards in 2009. McCoy and Bryce Brown accounted for 1,833 yards in 2012. McCoy and Darren Sproles combined for 2,190 in 2014. DeMarco Murray and Sproles combined for 1,729 in 2015. However, Westbrook and Buckhalter had that production for multiple seasons, not just one.
A combo of Howard and Johnson may not be as dynamic as Westbrook and Buckhalter, but it would certainly bring back fond memories and excitement for Eagles fans. They are both young enough, Howard (24) and Johnson (25), to have the Westbrook/Buckhalter impact for years to come.
It’s now up to Howie to bring this to a reality.
Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
