Jaye Howard signs 1-year deal with Chicago Bears
By Matt Conner
The Chicago Bears have their man with the official signing of former Chiefs defensive lineman Jaye Howard.
The Kansas City Chiefs surprised everyone with the release of defensive tackle Jaye Howard in the days leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. Howard had to wait until the flurry of the draft was over, but it didn’t take long thereafter to find a new landing spot with the Chicago Bears. It was the one and only visit Howard took during his short dip into free agency.
In four years with the Chiefs, Howard played in 43 games and started 30, not bad for an initial waiver wire claim. Howard had 124 total tackles in his four seasons in K.C. along with 7.5 sacks, 5.5 of those coming during his contract year in 2015. Last season, Howard was injured with a hip flexor and the Chiefs ultimately ended his season by placing him on injured reserve.
Howard is a solid run defender who has shown the ability to penetrate the pocket. If healthy, the Bears will likely enjoy a motivated veteran who has another payday ahead if he can put together another productive full season. Certainly it seems like Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long will be glad to have him aboard.