Miami Dolphins Most Important Players for 2017: #9 Xavien Howard
Beginning a new series this week, we will begin to take a look at the players who impact will be the most important on the Miami Dolphins season. Continuing on to number nine, we will gradually progress our way to number one. For this series, we will take a look at the players who I feel will be important to any success the Dolphins have this season.
Moving on from yesterday’s look at tight end Julius Thomas, today we will take a look at second-year cornerback Xavien Howard and his great importance to the Miami Dolphins secondary. With veterans Byron Maxwell and Tony Lippett being inconsistent as ever, Maxwell’s performance could decide the success of the Dolphins secondary in 2017.
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Trading up in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dolphins moved up to land the former Baylor cornerback. Possessing the size needed to compete in the NFL, Howard was hampered during his rookie season by a string of injuries that kept him off the field for a lot of the early part of his rookie campaign.
While Howard also failed to record an interception, he was rotated in and out a lot last season. This season however, Howard will need to prove himself and earn a starting spot in the cornerback rotation. Taking down either Tony Lippett or Byron Maxwell, Howard will earn a starting role and hopefully prove to be more consistent than either player.
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Considering that the pass defense on passing downs was one of the Dolphins bigger defensive issues last season, the play of Xavien Howard this season will be extremely important. Maintaining coverage and keeping the ball in the hands of the quarterback, Howard’s success will be key to Miami’s overall play on defense this season.
While the run defense was the biggest known issue last season, the pass defense could be even more of an issue if the cornerbacks are once again inconsistent this season. Depending on the play of Xavien Howard this season, the Miami Dolphins could have a top ten defense or once again struggle to stop many of the league’s top offenses.
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