The options for the Detroit Lions to improve their cornerback room are growing. The Miami Dolphins released veteran cornerback Xavien Howard in a salary cap saving move on February 23.
Within hours of his release, CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell named the Lions a landing spot for Howard.
“The NFC runner-ups are in a great spot as their rebuild is now ahead of schedule with the team reaching the conference championship round with rookies like running back Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch playing key roles,” Podell wrote. “However, Detroit’s secondary could still use some work as it was below league average in pass defense (336.1 passing yards per game allowed, 19th in NFL).
“Howard can add some needed experience to what’s overall a young defensive backfield.”
Howard didn’t make the Pro Bowl in 2023, but it was the first time he hadn’t been a Pro Bowler since 2019. He also made first-team All-Pro while finishing third in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2020.
During 2018, Howard was second-team All-Pro.
In 2023, he posted 12 pass defenses with 1 interception. He also had 45 combined tackles with 1 tackle for loss and 1 quarterback hit.
How Xavien Howard Could Fit With the Lions
As Podell noted, the Lions pass defense posted below average statistics during 2023. Detroit allowed the sixth-most passing yards in the NFL. They also finished 27th in passing touchdowns yielded and 29th in net yards allowed per pass attempt.
Howard, though, would be an immediate upgrade as a starter opposite Cameron Sutton, who the Lions hope will bounce back from a underwhelming 2023 season.
Turning 31 in July, Howard could at least help the Lions be a better turnover margin team in 2024. Howard led the NFL with 7 and 10 interceptions during the 2018 and 2020 seasons, respectively.
The Lions were tied for 11th with 16 interceptions during 2023. However, Detroit held a 0 turnover differential.
That’s an area where the Lions would likely prefer to improve. The Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams were the only NFC playoff teams who had a worse turnover margin than Detroit.
Howard might be due for a big interception campaign in 2024. He only had 2 interceptions in the past two seasons combined.
‘Significant Interest’ Expected for Howard in NFL Free Agency
Pundits have linked the Lions to a lot of different potential cornerback upgrades early this offseason. Howard could potentially vault to the top of the wish list.
Whether that’s the case could depend on finances.
Howard signed a new contract worth $90 million with an average annual salary of about $19 million in April 2022. He probably won’t get that kind of deal this offseason, but he is supposed to be in demand.
“The four-time Pro Bowl selection is expected to have significant interest on the market,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
After the league announced the increase of the NFL salary cap to $255.4 million on February 23, Spotrac reported the Lions as having $65.7 million in cap space.
With that room, the Lions are expected to offer contract extensions to quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and potentially other stars who will need new deals soon. But the Lions should have space to make a run at a top cornerback if they choose to.
Drafting a cornerback in the first round is also an option for the Detroit. That may be the preferred choice too because it would give the Lions a potential starting cornerback on a rookie contract.
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Lions Connected to Recently Released Former All-Pro CB