Jordan Howard has been nursing a stinger/shoulder injury since Week 9. After missing six straight games, he appears ready to return to the lineup, as ESPN's Adam Schefter is reporting that he will be available this week. The team will release Jay Ajayi to pave the way for Howard's return.
Ajayi did not make the most of his limited opportunities give to him. He rushed for 30 yards on just 10 attempts, and has not been involved in the running back rotation the last two weeks.
Doug Pederson and Duce Staley will have an interesting situation at running back for Week 17 (and possibly the playoffs). Before Howard's injury, he seemed to be the go-to 'back in the offense, with Miles Sanders occasionally sprinkled in. Now that Sanders is on a hot streak and Boston Scott has been effective when he gets the ball, Howard's role is likely to be much different.
I believe the team will take a cautious approach to getting Howard back in the lineup and limit the amount of hits he receives. Sanders is too hot to take away his snaps, and Scott is a better option out of the backfield in the passing game than Howard, so #24 might just get the power 'back role when he returns on Sunday, only getting snaps in short yardage situations and goal-line snaps.
