Jaye Howard could be great signing for Bears
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that the Chicago Bears have signed Jaye Howard to a one-year deal. The former Chiefs defensive lineman was recently cut by Kansas City after failing a physical. Chicago visited with him earlier in the week. He passed a physical with them, but left Halas Hall without having signed a deal. However, it now appears that the Bears offered him the best possible deal. Chicago had interest in him back in 2016, but he ultimately stayed with the Chiefs.
Jaye Howard’s main issue last year was his inability to stay healthy – he only played in eight games and started four. Although his 2016 season was rough, he is a difference maker on the defensive line when healthy. He had 5.5 sacks and 57 tackles in 2015. According to PFF, his run stop percentage was second in the league last year. He is an athletic and strong lineman who will fit very well in Vic Fangio’s scheme.
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With this addition, the Bears will likely be starting Howard, Eddie Goldman and Akiem Hicks on the defensive front. They will use Mitch Unrein and Jonathan Bullard as high-quality depth pieces. There is one issue with this group: injuries. Howard, Goldman, Unrein and Bullard all missed time to injury last year. The former two missed a combined 14 games.
However, when healthy, this group could be dangerous. All of the starters are above-average. They can all stop the run incredibly well, and Hicks and Howard are both solid pass rushers. Bullard and Unrein are both viable backups, also. If one of the starters were to miss time to injury, the Bears would be in good hands.
Overall, this is a low-risk, high-reward signing for the Bears. One would assume that the next thing on their to-do list is to re-sign Hicks to an extension. If they can lock up Howard and Hicks long term, they’d have a solid group up front for years to come.
– Jacob Infante is a National Editor for cover32 and also covers the Chicago Bears. He can be followed on Twitter @jacobinfante24.
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