Bears' Howard reveals playing 'kind of blind' last season

Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard was an elite talent as a rookie last year despite being held back by vision problems that required surgery this offseason.

"I was just going out there kind of blind," Howard said to Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I couldn't see far away."

Even with the limitations, Howard racked up 1,313 yards and six touchdowns on the ground last year after being selected in the fifth round.

Howard's only glaring weakness was as a receiver, where he only caught 29-of-50 targets and looked extremely unnatural as a pass-catcher. The eye problems may have been a significant factor to those struggles.

"I can definitely track the ball a lot better," Howard said. "It's easier for me because I used to only be able to see the ball when it got right up on me.

"I could see close up. Catching passes and things like that when it's further away, that's where I needed the vision to improve."

Howard underwent a common laser eye surgery known as photorefractive keratectomy back in April. The improvement in his vision was almost instantaneous, according to the star back.

"I used to squint a lot because I couldn't see stuff," said Howard. "Now I don't have to squint. My eyes, they're never hurting from squinting so much. I can just see the field a lot better. It's definitely easier to catch now."

If the surgery has had the impact that Howard says it has, he should be a much more efficient pass-catcher in 2017. If he adds that skill set to his game, he will be a nightmare for defensive coordinators this season.