Bears RB Jordan Howard is noticeably slimmer than he was last season.
A season spent rumbling for 1,313 yards and six touchdowns didn’t do much damage to Howard’s strong frame. He said four or five massages during the practice week helped last season.
But taking the next step meant some changes were needed. His long runs need to be longer. His breaks during games need to be shorter.
“I don’t want to come off the field as much,” Howard said.
Howard’s offseason plan calls for weight loss but he also needs to maintain his strength and power, which make him imposing at the point of contact.
“I want to be like 225 [pounds] during the season, so I’m still trying to cut weight,” said Howard, who officially weighed 230 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2015.
Howard took over the lead back duties in Week 3. From that point on, he was the #7 fantasy back in the league, averaging 16.1 fantasy points per game. In terms of likely workload, he’s one of the safest plays on the board since he averaged 20.5 touches per game in the second half of the season. He averaged 116 total yards and 0.5 TD in that span.
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