Like any other team in the NFL, the Dolphins also have a star player who leads their team to victory. One of these players is Xavien Howard, who is making the headlines in the 2020 NFL Season. Throughout the NFL season, Howard has proven his ability and slowly making a name in the league.

He was noticed even more during the 2020 NFL season as his improvements are very noticeable and can’t be ignored, especially by the experts and the team’s fans. But who is Xavien Howard? What are his achievements, and how well he fulfills his duty as a cornerback?

Who Is Xavien Howard

Xavien Howard is a 27 years old Cornerback of the Miami Dolphins for the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins drafted this Texan born player in 2016 during the second round, where he secured a four-year contract worth $6.2 Million.

He was also offered a guaranteed $3.83 Million and a $2.65 Million sign-up bonus. Howard played college football for Baylor University as a Cornerback, a position he continues to possess up to the present.

Achievements and Performance

Xavien Howard is a two-time recipient of the Dan Marino MVP award. One was in 2018, and the second one was recently for the 2020 season. He is the eight-player of the team to win the award multiple times. However, he was the first one to win twice since Ricky Williams in 2009.

Howard’s performance in the 2020 NFL season is recognized as one of his best. He had shown a huge improvement and earned his all-pro honors when he recorded 51 tackles, 20 defended passes, and ten interceptions. This record is one of the best in terms of interception and tackle.

He is living the title he was given as the ball-hawk and making opposing quarterbacks’ tasks difficult. Quarterbacks watch out for Howard as his interception has gotten even better. One day, the opposing team’s Quarterback will discontinue throwing on Howard’s way, but as of now, he still got the chance to intercept more throws.

Although the team will not advance to the Super Bowl 2021 as they were already eliminated on week 17 from the AFC playoffs, they will still have a chance in the next season where fans are expected to be more dominant.

However, the NFL postseason is underway and the two teams to play for the Super Bowl 2021 is still unknown, and the NFL Championship point spread will still change. While the Dolphins can now rest and restore their energy to start preparing their players for the next season.

Howard is also one of the two Dolphin players who cut the NFL all-pro rosters. This achievement of Xavien Howard was announced last January 8, 2021. Alongside Howard is his teammate, kicker Jason Sanders. This achievement is another proof that Howard is indeed the future of the Miami Dolphins.

The entire 2020 season of Howard was dubbed as one of the best. He is also a candidate for the Defensive Player of The Year Award. Howard should focus on training in preparation for the 2021 NFL season to lead his team to victory and secure a chance for the 2022 Super Bowl Championship.

In July 2018, Howard was also included on the NFL’s Annual top 100 list, which he landed on the 55th spot. It was his first time to be included on the list, and he was the only Dolphins player who made it to the cut.

Injuries

In 2018, Howard suffered a knee issue that caused him to miss his game with the New England Patriots. The team management hasn’t released any details regarding the injury, but they have confirmed that it occurred during their match with Buffalo Bills a week before.

Aside from the knee injury during the 2018 season, he also experienced an ankle injury, which limited his performance as a Cornerback. It was a tough year for the Dolphins as they have already had multiple injuries, and Howard’s condition just worsened their situation.

Another knee injury was experienced by Howard last year, where the 2019 NFL Season prematurely ends for him as he was placed on injured reserve. He already missed two other games of the 2019 season before the injury happened, which means Howard missed most of the games in the 2019 season.

The past two years were not good for Howard as well as the whole team. The 2020 NFL season was pretty good, and it is where Howard recovered and gave his best. Fans and experts are now looking forward to the next season and will closely watch Cornerback Xavien Howard.

Takeaway

With his abilities and how he performed on the field, Xavien Howard is a player to watch out for. He will be one of the most sought Football players of his time. If he focuses on improving his skills, even more, he will reach the top in no time.