Rumors are swirling of a potential Eagles-Browns trade involving disgruntled Browns running back Duke Johnson.
It was reported on Monday April 1 that Johnson requested a trade from the Browns:
https://twitter.com/BR_NFL/status/1112837843628576769
The Eagles just traded for a running back in Jordan Howard, but Howie Roseman certainly could pull off another trade for a running back of Johnson's ability. Not sure of his ability? Well:
https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1112866590381494272
I'm sure Doug Pederson could fit a player like this into his offense. A combo like Howard and Johnson, not to be confused with the hotel chain, would bring back fond memories of another Eagles running back duo in the 2000's.
(Continued on the pages below.)
Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Brian Westbrook and Duce Staley/Correll Buckhalter
I lump Staley and Buckhalter together because Westbrook and either one of them made up a significantly explosive duo. The three of them together combined for 2,465 yards from scrimmage in 2003.
In 2002, Westbrook's rookie season, he and Staley combined for 1,849 yards from scrimmage. However, Staley had 1,570 of those yards. Once Westbrook got his feet wet in the NFL, those yards started to pile up for him.
In that 2003 stat previously mentioned, Westbrook had 945 of those yards. Staley had 845, while Buckhalter had 675.
In 2004, Westbrook had 1,515 yards from scrimmage on his own. However, he did not have a Buckhalter or Staley to complement him in the backfield. The Eagles did go on to the Super Bowl that season though.
In 2005, Westbrook continued his balanced attack, with 1,233 yards from scrimmage. His stats between rushing and receiving were almost split in half, with 617 yards rushing and 616 yards receiving. Again, no Buckhalter or Staley.
But in 2006, Buckhalter was back with the Eagles to pair with Westbrook to bring the team a combined 2,517 yards from scrimmage. 1,916 of those yards coming from Westbrook. Buckhalter's 4.2 yards per carry average perfectly complemented Westbrook's 5.1 YPC, and the duo brought 165.3 yards from scrimmage to the Eagles offense each game.
While 2007 saw a very down year for Buckhalter in terms of receiving yards, only 87, his YPC went up to 5.0 to pair with Westbrook's 4.8. Westbrook had a career year with 2,104 yards from scrimmage to pair with Buckhalter's 400, but the duo still brought 168.9 yards from scrimmage per game to the offense.
The 2008 season was the last of this pairing, with Westbrook's 1,338 yards from scrimmage and Buckhalter's 693. Another strong YPC average for both, 4.9 for Buckhalter and 4.0 for Westbrook, led to a 145.1 yards from scrimmage average per game for the two backs.
Although this pairing only led to three playoff wins for the Eagles, their impact on the offensive side of the ball could not be denied. But why would a Jordan Howard and Duke Johnson duo be similar?
The Complimentary Styles
Howard and Johnson would bring a very similar impact to the Eagles as Westbrook and Buckhalter did.
For his career, Howard has 3,370 yards rushing and 568 yards receiving. That's good for 71.7 rushing yards per game and 12.1 receiving yards per game. He also has a 4.3 YPC average.
Johnson has 1,286 yards rushing and 2,170 yards receiving in his career. That averages to 20.1 rushing yards per game and 33.9 receiving yards per game. He also has a 4.3 YPC average.
Combine those totals for 91.8 rushing yards and 46 receiving yards per game for the duo, 137.8 yards from scrimmage per game.
Buckhalter averaged 23.3 rushing yards per game and 15.2 receiving yards per game in his main years with Westbrook. He also had a 4.9 YPC average.
Westbrook averaged 79.2 rushing yards per game and 42.5 receiving yards per game in that same time frame with Buckhalter. He also had a 4.6 YPC average.
Combine those numbers for 160.2 yards from scrimmage per game.
A few other running back duos had nice single season contributions to the Eagles since the Westbrook/Buckhalter combo. Westbrook and LeSean McCoy combined for 1,400 yards in 2009. McCoy and Bryce Brown accounted for 1,833 yards in 2012. McCoy and Darren Sproles combined for 2,190 in 2014. DeMarco Murray and Sproles combined for 1,729 in 2015. However, Westbrook and Buckhalter had that production for multiple seasons, not just one.
A combo of Howard and Johnson may not be as dynamic as Westbrook and Buckhalter, but it would certainly bring back fond memories and excitement for Eagles fans. They are both young enough, Howard (24) and Johnson (25), to have the Westbrook/Buckhalter impact for years to come.
It's now up to Howie to bring this to a reality.
Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
