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Two-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl selection Xavien Howard is still searching for his next team. After being drafted in the second round in 2016, Howard has spent his entire career with the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins released Howard at the start of the new year and will designate him as a post-June 1 cut for maximum savings. Looking for his new home, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report urged the Dallas Cowboys to pursue the Texas native.
“Dallas didn’t add secondary help in the draft until it selected Wake Forest cornerback Caelen Carson in the fifth round. While the Cowboys are expected to have Trevon Diggs (ACL) healthy and on the field in 2024, it couldn’t hurt to add more depth at the corner position,” Knox wrote in his May 6 article looking at three free agents the Cowboys should pursue after the NFL draft.
“Bringing back 2023 trade acquisition Stephon Gilmore could be an option. Gilmore was a very solid starter for Dallas in 2023, though that fact could put his price point out of the Cowboys’ range.”
Instead of signing Stephon Gilmore, Knox wrote that the Cowboys should kick the tires on Howard.
“Instead, the Cowboys should kick the proverbial tires on four-time Pro Bowler Xavien Howard. A foot injury hampered his 2023 campaign, but the 30-year-old was widely considered one of the league’s premier pass defenders before that.”
Xavien Howard Was Cleared to Play
Over the past few seasons, Howard has been limited during his time with the Miami Dolphins with multiple injuries. He dealt with a foot injury in 2023 and played in just 13 games.
According to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Howard was fully cleared for football activities in early April.
Four-time Pro Bowl CB Xavien Howard was fully cleared for football activities earlier this month, his doctor informed teams in a letter,” Pelissero tweeted on April 24. “Howard, who’s a free agent, battled a foot injury throughout last season. Some potential post-draft help incoming.”
Howard posted the worst coverage grade in his career in 2023 with a 51.9 coverage grade for the Dolphins, according to PFF. The ballhawk who led the NFL in interceptions in 2018 and 2020 has had just one interception in each of the last two seasons. His struggles this season could be due to his foot injury, which is what a team like the Dallas Cowboys would be hoping for if they signed him,
How Howard Would Help the Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys drafted Caelen Carson in the fifth round of the NFL draft, but Howard could make more sense than an unproven rookie for a Super Bowl-caliber team.
It was a relatively quiet offseason for the Cowboys, which was a bit surprising. Not adding any other cornerback in free agency and with Gilmore on the market, Howard would fit them perfectly. Despite some of his health issues in recent seasons, he’s still a quality starter.
He also hinted at being willing to take a pay cut on an episode of “The OGs Podcast,” which could interest the Cowboys front office.
“My goal is always to win a Super Bowl. Don’t let the money get in the way of winning a Super Bowl. Some people get paid, and some people win a Super Bowl. Some people do both. You do both, you’re different,” Howard said on Mach 19. “I want to be different, but I want to win a Super Bowl now. I’ve already been paid, but now a Super Bowl is what I’m looking forward to.”
If he’s searching to play for a Super Bowl-contending team, the former Miami Dolphins star makes even more sense for the Cowboys as they’ve been to the playoffs every year in the past three seasons.