Getty Xavien Howard of the Miami Dolphins.
Veteran cornerback Xavien Howard may be a cap casualty for the Miami Dolphins this offseason.
If he is, the Philadelphia Eagles could be a top landing spot. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report believes Philly’s recent addition of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio would make the Eagles an easy transition for Howard.
“Perhaps the most logical landing spot for Howard would be with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles secondary underwhelmed in 2023, and former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio just took the same job in Philadelphia,” Knox wrote on February 5.
Philadelphia’s secondary struggled during the regular season, finishing 31st out of 32 teams in passing defense. The struggles continued into the playoffs, where the unit gave up a whopping 307 yards in the team’s 32-9 Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But would adding Howard help?
Money Is Going to Be Huge Factor in Dolphins’ Decision
Howard, who turns 31 in July, signed a five-year, $90 million contract extension ($36.3 million guaranteed) with the Dolphins in 2022. He’s set to have a $15.4 million base salary next season, but the Dolphins have a potential out in his contract once June 1 hits.
“Howard is set to carry a cap hit of $25.9 million in 2024. The Dolphins could save $14.5 million in 2024 cap space by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation,” Knox wrote. “With Miami projected to be $51.2 million over the cap, that’s a substantial sum.”
“Howard’s still a good player, but hasn’t performed like an elite cornerback the past two years, which justifies why the Dolphins can’t pay him $18.5 million in 2024, especially when they get all of that money back by making him a June 1 cut,” Omar Kelly of Sports Illustrated also noted.
If Howard is willing to renegotiate his contract, Miami would likely keep him around. But the veteran CB has shown little inclination he’s willing to do that.
When asked if he might be willing to renegotiate his contract and take less money, this was his response, according to USA Today’s Safid Deen:
“If your boss asked you to take a cut, would you?”
Xavien Howard Could Be Solid Addition for Eagles’ Secondary
Xavien Howard : 6 tackles & an INT
Despite his age, Howard is still a solid cover corner, and the Eagles could use some help in that area. In 13 games last season, Howard finished with 45 tackles (one for loss), a quarterback hit, 10 pass breakups and an interception.
Per Pro Football Focus, Howard allowed 44 receptions on 71 targets last year. He gave up two touchdowns in coverage all season. By contrast, Eagles starter James Bradberry allowed 9 TDs in coverage, although Bradberry played in four more games than Howard did.
Opposing quarterbacks had an 86.7 passer rating when throwing Howard’s way in 2023, versus the 108.6 passer rating they had when targeting Bradberry.
A four-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro in 2020, when he led the NFL in interceptions (10), it’s fair to suggest his best playing days are behind him. It’s also fair to say he might be an improvement over Bradberry in the coverage department.
The Eagles will have Darius Slay and Bradberry both under contract next season, with Bradberry being a likely cap casualty himself. Cutting Bradberry only to sign Howard seems like a somewhat lateral move. Still, Howard has been performing better of late and if the Dolphins cut him, he’ll likely want to sign with a contender.
Fangio only served as Miami’s DC for one year, though, so his connection to Howard may not be the strongest. We’ll know soon enough what Miami will decide regarding Howard, but if he’s released, oh, he should be a definite name to watch for Philadelphia.