After nearly a month on the open market, former Pro Bowl running back Jordan Howard has re-signed with the Eagles, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Eagles also reportedly signed former Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson on Wednesday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Howard returns to Philadelphia after joining the team's practice squad late in the 2020 season. He was active for just two games for the Eagles last season, rushing for 27 yards on seven carries. Howard started the season with the Dolphins, where he rushed for 33 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries.
A fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft, Howard earn Pro Bowl status as a rookie after rushing for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns with the Bears. He put up another solid season in 2017, when he rushed for 1,122 yards and nine touchdowns. And despite rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns in 2018, Howard was traded to the Eagles in exchange for a sixth-round pick during the 2019 offseason. In 10 starts with the Eagles that season, Howard rushed for 525 yards and six touchdowns while helping Philadelphia win the NFC East. Howard rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries in the Eagles' wild-card playoff loss to the Seahawks.
Howard will again share a backfield in Philadelphia with Miles Sanders and Boston Scott. For a second straight season, Sanders led the Eagles in rushing with 867 yards and six touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Scott, a sixth-round pick in the 2018 draft, set career highs with 374 rushing yards and 212 receiving yards last season.
The Eagles' third-leading rusher last season was quarterback Jalen Hurts, who racked up 354 yards and three touchdowns on the ground during his rookie campaign. Hurts is the front-runner to be the Eagles' starting quarterback for the 2021 season.
