Options if and when Miami Dolphins cut Xavien Howard
It was early December and Xavien Howard was playing well.
Howard was enjoying playing in Vic Fangio's system, featuring less press man coverage, which for years had left him on 1-on-1 islands.
No, the interceptions weren't coming, but pass defense metrics were looking up for Miami's veteran cornerback.
Still, Howard was in his eighth Dolphins season, and at age 30, with a history of knee flare-ups, he knew then it might be his last with the team that drafted him.
"The goal is to be here, with the team, but you know, at the end of the day, it's a business," Howard said then.
Howard knows it all too well. Twice, he was able to extract more money from the Dolphins despite previously negotiated deals.
And so now, it may be time for the Dolphins to stand on their business, as they say.
Howard knows it.
This week, he posted a perhaps not-all-that-cryptic message on Instagram.
It was an Usher video.
"Sometimes you've got to leave," Usher says in the clip. "Sometimes you have to go away from home in order to be truly valued and appreciated. And maybe find yourself."
But it's not personal, and, honestly, Howard knows that.
Miami began this week more than $50 million over the NFL's salary cap — and even though it will take a nice jump in 2024 — Miami is looking for contracts to trim.
With a post-June 1 release designation, Miami can save $18.5 million, with a $7.4 million dead cap hit in 2024 and a $15.7 million cap hit in 2025.
On Friday, it became known that Miami will, in fact, move on from Howard after a good 8-year run.
Howard, a shrewd businessman, expressed no desire to take a pay cut to stay with the team that drafted him.
Asked about that scenario at the end of the season, Howard basically asked a reporter, "Would you take a pay cut?"
Well, it depends. But certainly, nobody would want to.
Miami's longest-tenured player is headed elsewhere.
No doubt, Howard felt it coming.
Howard is tied for fourth on Miami's all-time interceptions list.
He's two behind Sam Madison, the legendary Dolphins cornerback who was recently let go by the team as a coach.
Howard has 29, like Glenn Blackwood and Pat Surtain, who left Miami's coaching staff before last season.
Dick Anderson and Jake Scott have 35 and 34, and it sure seemed like Howard was on track to catch them.
But for various reasons, Howard has only two interceptions in the 28 games he's played over the past two seasons.
The good news for Howard is he's averaged 15 games played over the last two seasons. And he's seemed to find a way to reduce soft-tissue injuries.
The bad news is any NFL team signing him will likely be cautious about the longevity of his knees.
Howard, selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft, has proven to be an excellent addition, with four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro appearance.
But the Dolphins' addition of Jalen Ramsey did relegate him to the squad's No. 2 cornerback position.
If Miami were to let Howard go, what are some options?
Roll with second-rounder Cam Smith
Former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was not a fan of Smith, even though he displayed outstanding athleticism and instincts in spring practices as a rookie from South Carolina.
Fangio just didn't trust Smith to not make a major mental mistake.
And now Smith will have to learn a new defense.
But he has all the physical tools to be a starter in the NFL.
Sign another veteran cornerback
Eli Apple ended up playing 10 games for Miami last season, including four starts.
Apple signed for only $1.6 million, so that's the kind of money the Dolphins could hypothetically pay for competition for Smith.
Former Dolphins general manager Mike Tannenbaum recently made a hypothetical suggestion of trading Jaylen Waddle to Kansas City for top cornerback Trent McDuffie.
Miami will need to consider what type of financial and/or asset allocation they actually want to make to support Anthony Weaver's incoming defensive scheme.
Last season, the Dolphins shifted from heavy man-to-man defense to heavy zone defense, which is a leaguewide trend.
Baltimore's defense, which Weaver says will be Miami's foundation, used zone defense a bit less and man-to-man a bit more than Miami. But it should be a fairly balanced approach.
Some of the top pending free agent cornerbacks, with Spotrac contract estimates, are: L'Jarius Sneed ($16.3 million), Jaylon Johnson (15.7), Kendall Fuller (14.1), Adoree Jackson ($11.3), Stephon Gilmore (11.1), Steven Nelson (10.2), Kenny Moore (n/a) and Chidobe Awuzie (n/a).
No cornerback addition should be ruled out, considering how general manager Chris Grier values the position. He once signed Byron Jones to a massive contract when cornerback did not seem to be a glaring need.
But a less-expensive option to compete with Smith should seem more likely.
Other free agent cornerbacks include: Apple, Keisean Nixon, C.J. Henderson, Jeff Okudah, Rock Ya-Sin, Ronald Darby, Daryl Worley and Ahkello Witherspoon.
Draft another cornerback
Miami has glaring potential needs at center, guard, defensive tackle, edge rusher and perhaps safety and linebacker.
Can they really afford to draft another cornerback?
Well, Grier won't ever hesitate to take a corner (or an edge rusher) if that player sticks out on Miami's board during the draft.
Miami is selecting 21st overall (first round) and 55th overall (second round).
Some cornerbacks projected in that range of the first round include: Terrion Arnold (Alabama), Cooper DeJean (Iowa) and Quinyon Mitchell (Toledo).
Some cornerbacks projected in that range of the second round include: Kamari Lassiter (Georgia), T.J. Tampa (Iowa State), Kalen King (Penn State) and Kris Abrams-Draine (Missouri).
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Xavien Howard to be cut by Dolphins. Here are some replacement options
