One Jordan Howard Trade Option That Nobody Has Considered

The Jordan Howard trade talk has remained an off-and-on subject for a calendar year. People remain convinced the Chicago Bears are keen on making changes at running back. Changes that will no longer involve the former Pro Bowler. However, every time it seems like something is imminent, the buzz fades away. GM Ryan Pace has had numerous chances. He just won't pull the trigger. There's one of two explanations for this. Either he's not receiving offers he feels are worth losing Howard for. Or he isn't willing to move on from Howard until he's confident the team has their next backfield option in place. This isn't a surprise. Teams, in general, are wary of giving up draft picks for running backs and a combination of Tarik Cohen and Mikes Davis doesn't seem ideal. However, there is one possibility the Bears could consider if it's the former of the two options. One popular method of trade in the NFL these days is the player-for-player swap. Teams exchanging players they no longer need for ones they feel can help them. Chicago actually did this years ago when they acquired Sherrick McManis from Houston. Pace could do something similar. It's a matter of which teams might be open to it and what they could offer in return. Here are a few ideas.

Shaq Lawson (DE, Buffalo Bills)

The Buffalo Bills had a good rushing attack statistically in 2018. There's just one problem. Their quarterback Josh Allen was their leading rusher with 613 yards. That is what experts call unsustainable in the long-term. LeSean McCoy turns 31 this year and averaged a career-worst 3.2 yards per carry last season. Howard also had one of his best games last season against Buffalo, so there's a reason to think they'd be interested. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmUV0XcxVls Lawson was originally drafted in 2016 to play outside linebacker in Rex Ryan's 3-4 defense. The same Ryan whom Chuck Pagano coached for in Baltimore. The past two years he's been playing defensive end and doesn't seem to be in the best graces of the coaching staff. He could give the Bears much-needed depth behind Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd in the type of system he was supposed to play in.

Charles Harris (DE, Miami Dolphins)

Another former 1st round pick who hasn't lived up to the billing. Now the Dolphins have a new coaching staff in place and it appears they're angling to conduct a full rebuild. That could mean Harris is on his way out. He only has three sacks in his career to this point, but he does have 54 pressures. So the ability is somewhere in there. Perhaps a move to outside linebacker would allow him to utilize his strengths and hide the weaknesses.

On the flip side, Miami gets their offense into a great position from a backfield perspective at least. Not only do they get Howard, but they get to pair him with Kenyan Drake. That 1-2 punch is perfectly balanced. One is the heavy hitter who can handle the volume carries and the other is the athletic matchup problem who can gash defenses in a variety of ways.

Karl Joseph (S, Oakland Raiders)

Signing Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was a savvy move by the Bears to fix their safety position after losing Adrian Amos. However, it doesn't solve their problem long-term. Clinton-Dix will be a free agent again in 2020, and if he plays up to his potential he'll be demanding a large contract. Something they likely won't be able to give him. Not with Eddie Jackson due for one as well in the near future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH8lfQrdoaI Trading for Karl Joseph affords them two advantages. It gives them a young safety with credibility as a starter who could make excellent depth in 2019. Then when Clinton-Dix leaves, he could slide right in to start opposite Jackson at a cheaper price. In return, the Raiders get the last piece to their offensive overhaul. They have receivers but not a running back they can feed. They were 25th in rushing last year. Howard changes that.

Vernon Hargreaves (CB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

The Buccaneers had hoped Hargreaves would become the man who could turn their struggling secondary issues around. Instead he became further evidence of deeper problems with that organization. After two average years in 2016 and 2017, he was lost for the year in the first game of 2018. Is he just bad or was he never utilized right? If it's the latter, then this trade makes sense for the Bears. Depth at cornerback is never a bad thing. There's also the fact they've gotten older at the position with the arrival of Buster Skrine. Adding Hargreaves gives them an injection of youth with upside. Tampa Bay, who were 29th in rushing last season, gets a running back with much-needed credibility they can use to balance the offense.