Following up on an earlier report, the Miami Dolphins have issued a statement saying the Tuesday afternoon report from the Sun-Sentinel was “factually inaccurate and based on rumors” and it goes on to say the organization is not exploring any trades for Xavien Howard.

Omar Kelly is standing by his reporting that the Dolphins are exploring trade offers for Xavien Howard even after the Miami Dolphins issued their statement. Barry Jackson and Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald are stating they were told early Tuesday morning that a couple of teams reached out to the Dolphins regarding Howard but they held off on reporting it until they had received more details.  So, one thing both sides do agree on is that teams are calling the Dolphins about Xavien Howard and his availability via trade.

This story is very reminiscent of the Laremy Tunsil story last September. The Dolphins weren’t actively shopping Tunsil but they kept receiving trade offers for him and one team (Houston) was persistent in their chase of Tunsil. The Dolphins came out publicly and stated they were not interested in trading Tunsil but then eventually did when they received an offer they couldn’t refuse. Could this be a similar situation here in 2020 with Xavien Howard? As Barry Jackson did point out though, the team was much stronger in its denial today regarding Howard than it was last year with the Tunsil situation.

In his Miami Herald column on Tuesday afternoon Barry Jackson made these points which I found interesting…

“At least two teams have called about Howard but there had not been any serious trade negotiations as of Tuesday afternoon, according to a source. A source close to Howard said he would be fine if he’s traded or not.”
“If Howard were to request a trade, that could obviously alter the Dolphins’ thinking.”

I know the Dolphins statement is they are not exploring any trades regarding Xavien Howard and I am sure when they released that statement they truly believe it at that moment in time. And most likely Howard won’t be traded if that is the way the team feels as of Tuesday afternoon.

With that said though, we have seen this same situation in the past, and teams and General Managers are entitled to change their mind at any given moment when situations change. Especially if there is an offer too good to refuse that is presented to Chris Grier and the Miami Dolphins between now and November 3rd at 4 pm eastern and the trade deadline.

So, are the Dolphins exploring trade offers to move Xavien Howard, or was this a case of a trade offer the Dolphins received that was taken out of context in that they aren’t looking to move Howard? The truth most likely falls someplace in the middle in an area of gray as not everything is black and white.

Maybe the Dolphins received two trade offers for Howard and decided not to pursue either and made an internal organizational decision to keep him. Now, this report leaks out and Howard feels like he isn’t wanted in Miami and you have a disgruntled player on your hands. That is why the Dolphins rushed to put out a statement so quickly shooting down the report.

Or maybe, just like with the Laremy Tunsil situation in 2019 the Dolphins have zero intention of trading Xavien Howard…until they get the offer that is too good to refuse and then Chris Grier and the Dolphins organization will say “What statement?” in regards to the one they put out on Tuesday afternoon saying they weren’t interested in trading Howard.

We also have to remember that Chris Grier wouldn’t be doing his job if he didn’t listen to any and all trade offers for every player on the Miami Dolphins roster. So the fact he is listening to offers isn’t a sign he is open to trading Howard. Just like the fact that he is listening to trade offers isn’t a sign he won’t trade him either.

Time will tell how this plays out but I think all Dolphins fans need to understand a week is a long time and a lot can change between October 27th and November 3rd. And what is being stated today might not be accurate tomorrow. I don’t expect this story to go away, and unlike with the presidential election in which we may not have answers on Nov 3rd, we will know for certain next Tuesday, Nov 3rd when the trade deadline closes at 4 pm if Howard will remain a member of the Dolphins or not.

In closing, I would like to say all Dolphins fans should support all of the local newspapers and beat reporters for the Miami Dolphins as they all do a very good job and put in a lot of long hours covering this team. Dolphins fans are very lucky in the group of reporters they have who cover this team, not all cities and teams have such a talented group of reporters covering them. All of the Dolphins beat reporters have different sources and may have different information being told to them in regards to this situation and other situations around the team. Not to mention with a fluid situation, like rumors around the trade deadline usually are, things change rapidly. What you were told prior to lunch might change and not be true after lunch. So Dolphins fans shouldn’t use this story to pick sides or attack one reporter or news organization or another as nobody will know for a week whether the Dolphins will or will not trade Howard in all reality. Because as we have seen in the past, everything is subject to change when it comes to the Miami Dolphins and who they may trade.

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