Getty Pete Carroll's Seahawks say they are happy with new quarterback Drew Lock.
The Seattle Seahawks are not where they want to be and may need to pull off a deal by the November 2nd NFL trade deadline. Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling suggests the Seahawks strike a blockbuster trade with the Dolphins for two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. The Dolphins are just 1-5 and could be sellers at the deadline.
“The 1-4 [now 1-5 after loss to Jaguars] Miami Dolphins look like a team that needs to start selling—and quickly—ahead of the deadline,” Roling detailed. “Thanks to a first-round trade in this year’s draft, Miami doesn’t even have its own first-round pick next year, which especially stings with it looking like a top-10 selection and quarterback apparently a need.
“The Dolphins can stop the bleeding a bit by moving excess, possibly disgruntled talent. Corner Xavien Howard has openly asked for a trade in the past and the team has commented on it. He has a $15.2 million cap hit this year before a possible out in his contract; otherwise, he’s under contract through 2024 making at least $12.3 million every year. Yet he’s the second-highest-paid corner on the team behind Byron Jones, which is part of why he’s unhappy in the first place.”
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The Seahawks Have ‘Actively Monitored’ a Trade for a Cornerback: Report
Rumors have swirled around Howard’s future in Miami since the offseason, but so far the Dolphins have been unwilling to budge. We will see if the front office could be more willing to trade Howard given the team’s dismal start to the season. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Seahawks are among the teams who have, “actively monitored the cornerback market in recent months.”
“Several teams have actively monitored the cornerback market in recent months, including the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets, Houston Texans and New York Giants,” Fowler detailed. “The position has only grown in importance because of injuries across the league.”
Howard is coming off an All-Pro season notching an NFL-leading 10 interceptions, 20 pass deflections and 40 tackles in 2020. The Seahawks have had a revolving door at corner, trading offseason addition Ahkello Witherspoon to the Steelers prior to the start of the season and recently cutting former starter Tre Flowers.
The Trade Proposal Has the Seahawks Sending the Dolphins a 3rd Round Pick for Howard
Juju trying to separate from Xavien Howard 😬
With rookie corner Tre Brown back at full strength, the Seahawks secondary does not look quite as bad but is still in need of help. The Dolphins have maintained they do not want to trade Howard, but the slow start to the season could prompt a change of heart. Roling suggests a mid-round future draft pick could entice the Dolphins, a lot less than the trade rumors that were floating around during the offseason.
“Meanwhile, Seattle’s usually stout cornerback room has been miserable to the point of likely desperation at the trade deadline,” Roling added. “Sidney Jones, for example, has a 39.9 PFF grade (the ‘replaceable’ cutoff starts at 59.0), and the team just cut ties with Tre Flowers.
“If Miami has plans to let Howard go anyway, it might be better to squeeze a third-rounder out of a team like Seattle, although it would be the first admission this season is lost. Those Seahawks can hope for an upgrade, and if it doesn’t work, they can lean into that out clause in his contract after the season.”
Even if the Seahawks do not land Howard, the team needs to be buyers at the trade deadline. Time will tell if Seahawks general manager John Schneider can make a move that will improve the team’s secondary before it is too late.