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Dolphins face plenty of questions in upcoming Xavien Howard standoff

Kyle Crabbs
·3 min read

Here are a couple of facts about Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard:

  • He was the team’s best player in 2020

  • He wants a new contract

  • The Dolphins’ decision in obliging that request is not an easy one

Because there’s a lot of variables at play that the Dolphins must consider with their All-Pro talent. Howard once again finds himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons for the second consecutive offseason — news broke this weekend that the All-Pro cornerback is declining interview requests with police regarding a June shooting at the home of his former agent. It is worth noting that Howard is not considered a suspect; but the Dolphins can’t be thrilled with this development one year after being involved in a domestic incident with his fiancée; an issue that saw the charges dropped several month after Howard was arrested for his role in the dispute.

All of this will make Howard’s expected appeal to the Dolphins that he deserves a new contract, one that would make him the highest paid cornerback on the team, a difficult sell. Howard was the Dolphins’ best player in 2020 and when he’s at full capacity he is a top cornerback in football. The Dolphins enjoyed 16 games Howard and somewhere around 10-12 games of what felt like Howard at full capacity as he continued rehab from offseason knee surgery and recovered from an August bout with COVID-19.

But if Howard is adamant about playing with a new deal, one that reinserts him at the top of cornerback payroll in the NFL, the Dolphins will need to carefully examine if they want to oblige. Do they want to set this precedent with players after signing Howard to a then-market setting deal less than two years ago? Are they comfortable with his off the field conduct over the last two years? How good does the team feel about Howard’s ability to avoid additional knee injuries after suffering multiple issues in both knees over the past several years?

Howard underwent knee surgery in December of 2019 after missing 11 games of that season, but he also suffered knee injures in 2018 (missing the final 4 games of the season) and two separate issues in 2016 (missing a total of 9 games of the season). Both injuries in 2016 required surgery.

And if the Dolphins’ amid their weighing out of the pros and cons, ultimately decide that paying Howard (again) is not in their best interests as a team, then Miami may be facing their most talented player requesting a trade. And if things descend to that point, Miami must look not just at the situation from a lens of a team trying to make the jump into being a postseason contender in 2021 but also a team trying to build a “sustainable winner”, which was the objective of Miami’s rebuild in the first place.

Howard is going to be 28-years old this season. Cornerbacks traditionally fall off with their play and hit a wall around the age of 30. So the clock is ticking for the Dolphins to get ideal returns from Howard. He’s taking care of his own role on the field — but only in 2020 has it led to winning.

Will paying a third contract and presumably close to $20M per season (versus the $12-13M he’s due each of the years left on his deal) for a cornerback with multiple knee injuries and within a stone’s throw of the dreaded 30-year old wall at cornerback help position this team for long-term, sustained success?

That’s a question that only the Dolphins can answer. But good luck to them figuring it all out.