The Facts: Howard met with the media Tuesday at Halas Hall to discuss his impressions of new coach Matt Nagy and how he will fit into the offense this season. But first things first. What was up with Howard’s Instagram account this offseason? “I really wasn’t expecting a reaction or anything,” Howard said. “You can go on there now and see if they’re on there. I don’t know.” When informed they were up on his account now, he said, “I guess they’ve always been up then.”

Diehards Line: Howard’s account started trade-rumor drama on social media in early April when all of the photos of him in a Bears uniform were removed from public view. The photos have since been restored with the original dates and comments on them. Instagram has an archive function for photos and stories that allows users to hide photos from view and restore them when wanted. Howard said he didn’t know if the photos were taken down. He told friends who texted him about it that there was nothing to the rumors. Howard said he wasn’t hurt by trade rumors that surfaced before and after the photo flap. But he said he was assured by his agent that his spot with the Bears was safe. “They told my agent they had no plans to trade me or anything like that,” Howard said. “So that’s comforting.” Remember, Nagy likes to utilize running backs who can catch passes in his offense, an area Howard has at times struggled with over his first two seasons. He said that motivates him to improve through repetition. We'll be watching for signs of improvement in the running back's receiving game in coming weeks.