X-Man Is Safe….at Least For Now
Miami Dolphins nation can relax now. Xavien Howard, also known as “X-man”, isn’t going anywhere, at least not this season.
On October 28, Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel put out a report that the Miami Dolphins were “exploring” trade offers for Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. There were trade rumors that the team was willing to let go of Howard for a “Laremy Tunsil” type of offer. Which would have meant no less than two 1sts round draft picks. The Dolphins put out a statement strongly denying the claim, but multiple other news sources have backed the Sun-Sentinel’s report. That caused fans to reminisce about the Nick Saban era. Remember when Saban said he wasn’t leaving the Dolphins to coach Alabama, and then he left to coach Alabama?
— DolphinsTalk.com (@DolphinsTalk) November 3, 2020
In 2018, Xavien Howard led the league with 7 interceptions and has since been considered an elite cornerback in the NFL. Following his breakout year, the Miami Dolphins re-signed Howard to a five-year, $76.5-million-dollar contract extension, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the league at the time. Unfortunately, he was placed on injured reserve (knee) after the week 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and missed the rest of the 2019 campaign.
Now that Xavien Howard is fully recovered and back to playing at a superior level, he once again leads the league in interceptions (4). His performance on defense has played a huge role in the unit’s success, and the team has benefited greatly from having two “shutdown” cornerbacks the likes of Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. The cornerback tandem has allowed the Dolphins pass rush the time they have needed to get after opposing quarterbacks and wreak havoc.
With the success that the defensive unit has achieved this season, and the level of play Howard is displaying, the Dolphins fan-base wondered why the team would consider trading the star player at all.
Well, the trade deadline has passed, and no trades involving Xavien Howard took place. Dolphins nation can now rest easy knowing that the star cornerback isn’t going anywhere. There will be no “Nick Saban” moves being pulled this season. The X-man is safe….at least for now.
Fans, however, might have to get used to the idea of Xavien Howard being on another team next year. The team could be looking to depart from Howard’s expensive contract during the offseason. If rumors are true (and I hope not), and the Dolphins get the trade offer that they are looking for, then X-man could very well be expendable.
The thing is, Miami is going to keep drafting corners, and if they figure they have someone else to replace him, of course they’ll trade him. I figure someone will eventually offer 2 first round picks for him.