Report: Jordan Howard could return against the Cowboys if the Eagles beat Washington

The Eagles have been without running back Jordan Howard for far longer than was initially expected — or, at least, longer than the team led us to believe his injury would require. Head coach Doug Pederson said on Friday that there was no change to Howard’s status heading into Sunday’s game against Washington, but it looks like he could still return this season under the right circumstances.

It would be understandable if Howard doesn’t want to rush back for a season that is essentially over should the Eagles lose to Washington on Sunday, especially as he prepares for free agency following the season. But hopefully, he’s able to get back and the team’s playoffs hopes are still alive.

BLG broke down the full (somewhat depressing) timeline of Howard’s injury and noted:

“To recap, Pederson used the term “day-to-day” to describe an injury that’ll have kept Howard out of game action for at least 49 days. Pederson also said that the team was “optimistic that he was going to maybe be available” for the Week 11 New England Patriots game that occurred nearly one month ago on Sunday, November 17.”

The Eagles’ medical staff hasn’t exactly earned the trust of fans given the handling of injuries like Jalen Mills, Darren Sproles, and DeSean Jackson over the past couple of seasons, and Howard being listed as day-to-day for so long is certainly head-scratching.

Howard is a young player and should definitely be able to bounce back from injury, but it’ll be interesting to see if he’s actually able to return, whether he sits out by choice, or whether the issue persists into the offseason.