The Miami Dolphins are adding a Pro Bowl cornerback to the free agent pool. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Peter Schrager, the team will release CB Xavien Howard at the start of the new league year in March.
Per the report, Howard is expected to garner “significant interest.”
A four-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, Howard had a quiet 2023 season. He started 13 games, intercepting just one pass. But he still recorded 45 tackles and broke up 12 passes. Howard’s also just one year removed from his last Pro Bowl and had a dominant 2020 season, leading the NFL with 10 interceptions. An established ballhawk, he has career 29 picks.
Turning 31 in July, he’s older than the typical defensive free agent the Steelers sign. But they’re also just one year removed from adding Patrick Peterson, who was 32 years old at the time he signed and 33 as he played out the 2023 season.
While Howard should have options, he’s unlikely to cost as much as the top corners on the market like Kansas City’s L’Jarius Sneed. Howard was due a $15.4 million base salary in 2024 after signing a five-year, $90 million contract in April 2022.
Mike Tomlin spoke highly of Howard in 2022, noting his man-to-man ability and competitive spirit.
“His man-to-man covers skills really change schematics of a game,” he told reporters in October of 2022. “They could lock him on somebody and minimize him and take their attention elsewhere, or they can include him in some schematics. He’s highly competitive and has been for a long time.”
We’ll see if the Steelers have interest in Howard. They certainly have a need at cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr. With a roster bonus due in mid-March, Peterson’s future is in question. Even if he is retained, his days of playing significant snaps at outside cornerback are over. Should the Steelers show interest, it’s unlikely they’ll be the only team in the market for Howard’s services.
