The Miami Dolphins are set to bid farewell to their star cornerback Xavien Howard with three years remaining on his $90 million contract. The team notified the four-time Pro Bowler at the start of the new NFL league year, per CBS Sports HQ’s Josina Anderson.
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The Dolphins will save $18.5 million in salary cap space if they choose to release him after June 1. On the other hand, if they release him before June 1, they would have to give him $2.8 million. Well, that is up to the Miami Dolphins to solve that situation.
Simultaneously, there is one team that is aiming for immediate success, the Houston, having won the AFC South and reaching the AFC divisional round in quarterback C.J. Stroud‘s first season. Their defense already has standout players like Will Anderson Jr., the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Derek Stingley Jr., the 2022 third overall pick and ranked fourth in the league for interceptions.
Speculation grew when a Houston Texans reporter tweeted about Xavien Howard possibly wanting to join the team. DJ Bien-Aime tweeted, “From people I trust Xavien Howard has interest in joining the Texans. He’s from Houston. From the Texans side it’s TBD.”
From people I trust Xavien Howard has interest in joining the Texans. He’s from Houston.
From the Texans side it’s TBD. https://t.co/uaBfupbqJp
— DJ Bien-Aime (@Djbienaime) February 23, 2024
Howard now joins a ‘free-agent’ group of sought-after cornerbacks with Jaylon Johnson, Stephon Gilmore, Kenny Moore, and Kendall Fuller. Moreover, Houston is in a strong position for offseason moves with $67.6 million in cap space. The team has a lot of young talents and could benefit from Howard’s experience.
Xavien Howard could partner with Stingley as a dependable CB2. Additionally, this is crucial for Houston’s defense which allowed the 10th most passing yards per game last season.
Xavien Howard Trade Rumors: Landing Spots For The Star Cornerback
The Miami Dolphins can choose to let go of Xavien Howard when the league year starts on March 13, making him a post-June 1 cut to save money as we discussed above. However, until then, they would have to pay Howard’s full cap charge until then. Now, Let’s shift our focus towards the team that can be interested in bringing in the skilled cornerback.
The Minnesota Vikings have seen a significant improvement in their defense upon Brian Flores’ arrival as the defensive coordinator. In 2022, they gave up 25.1 points (28th), which improved to 21.3 points (13th) during Flores’ first season. The success was credited to Flores’ strategic approach which could benefit further with a veteran’s experience. The Vikings also have the financial flexibility to consider this option with around $37.9 million in cap space.
The Las Vegas Raiders have also seen a significant defensive enhancement under interim head coach Antonio Pierce during the 2023 regular season. They led the NFL in scoring defense but ranked 22nd in passing yards allowed per game. Now Antonio Pierce has been handed the full-time responsibility to enhance their defense. Moreover, by targeting Xavien Howard, they could potentially replace free agent Amik Robertson.
The NFC runner-ups, Detroit Lions, exceeded expectations when their rebuild resulted in a conference championship spot. However, Detroit’s secondary is below average in pass defense, allowing 336.1 passing yards per game. Xavien Howard could boost the young defensive backfield. The franchise also has $63.7 million in cap space to bring in the veteran and focus on extending quarterback Jared Goff’s contract.
