What Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard would bring to the table in a trade

Just when you thought the beginning of training camp — and Aaron Rodgers reporting to the Green Bay Packers — meant the end of speculation over player movement comes along a new story that forces us to wonder anew about a player finding a new home.

This story comes from South Beach, and from the other side of the football. On Tuesday evening cornerback Xavien Howard, after himself reporting to the start of training camp with the Miami Dolphins, took to social media to outline his reasons for requesting a trade. In the lengthy statement, Howard describes how through his agent he tried to reach a resolution to his contract dispute favorable for both sides, but after being rebuffed, his only recourse is to ask for a trade:

What could a potential suitor be getting in acquiring Howard?

One of the top talents at his position, and a very valuable position at that.

Over the past few seasons Howard has established himself as one of the NFL’s top coverage cornerbacks. In 2018 Howard allowed an NFL passer rating of just 62.6 when targeted, and tallied seven interceptions. That was a career-high for him until last season, when his ten interceptions led the league.

Furthermore, Howard was graded as the NFL’s top coverage player according to Next Gen Stats. Under their analysis, Howard allowed a passer rating of just 46.5 when targeted, and allowed an average of just 2.8 yards per separation. Howard also produced a “targeted expected points added” of -34.5, which was best in the league.

According to their analysis, part of the reason for Howard’s success last season was the decision by the Dolphins to move Howard off the line of scrimmage:

Beyond the numbers, what shows up on film when you study Howard? What might suitors be getting in the cornerback?

A man coverage specialist.

Let’s start with that second nugget mentioned in the Next Gen Stats writeup, his coverage in the vertical passing game. Howard’s patience technique showed up on film throughout the 2020 season when offenses tried to attack him downfield. Take this play against the New York Jets:

Perriman takes an outside release and gets into his vertical route quickly. Rather than panic, Howard gets to the receiver’s inside hip and looks to match his speed, reading the eyes of Perriman. That puts him in position to make a play on the football at the catch point downfield, preventing a big play.

Here is another example of Howard matching a downfield vertical threat, this time on a post route:

Howard is again in press alignment, matched up against speedy rookie Henry Ruggs III. The Las Vegas Raiders use a condensed formation to try and create traffic, and it almost works. But rather than jam the receiver off the line, Howard reads his release and gets up to speed quickly, again matching the fast release of the WR. Howard is in trail technique, again on the lower hip of the receiver, when Ruggs tries to deke him with an aggressive step to the outside to bait Howard into thinking he is running a corner route. Howard does not take the bait, and is in position to break up a potential touchdown.

Beyond what he can do in the downfield passing game, Howard’s ability to recover and erase separation is what makes him such a dangerous CB. Take his second interception of the season, which came against the Seattle Seahawks. Howard is matched up against the dangerous D.K. Metcalf in the red zone, and off the line Metcalf widens with his release, showing a potential fade route. Howard responds by shuffling his feet to the outside, understandable given the situation and field position. But then Metcalf cuts underneath him on the glance route, forcing Howard into recovery mode:

Again, you see Howard recognize the route and drive to the low hip, putting himself in position for the interception. The recovery here is phenomenal, and it takes special awareness and short-area-quickness to be able to drive to the catch point and beat the throw from Russell Wilson. These types of traits are what make someone an elite coverage corner in today’s NFL.

Howard’s coverage abilities force offenses to try and use motion pre-snap to put him in a difficult position. On a few of the plays already discussed, the offense sent Howard’s receiver in motion, forcing the CB to adjust prior to the play. That alone is testament to his ability as a coverage player. But this example from a Week 6 game against the Jets combines that aspect with his recovery skills. The Jets put Jeff Smith in motion from left to right, and then have him run a crossing route over the middle. As the ball is snapped, Howard is still getting into position, and Smith has the leverage advantage off the line working to the inside. Again, watch Howard recover for the interception:

Again, Smith has the leverage advantage off the line as a result of the pre-snap motion, but Howard gets to the low hip and recovers with ease, diving in front of this throw for the interception. Could a better throw have resulted in a completion? Perhaps, but this is near-textbook from the CB.

Speaking of textbook, the last area of Howard’s game we will examine is his ability to click-and-close on routes. This also requires not just elite recognition, but also elite change-of-direction skills. For a cornerback to stop on a dime, mirror a route and drive back to the catch point and prevent a completion takes an incredible combination of traits.

But that is exactly what Howard brings to the table, as he did here breaking up a Jared Goff throw intended for Josh Reynolds:

Reynolds runs a stop route, trying to sell Howard on a vertical play. He releases off the line with a jab step to the inside before bending towards the boundary, a move designed to bait Howard into buying that Reynolds is going deep. But then the receiver stops quickly, hoping that Howard’s momentum carries him downfield and creates separation. However, the CB reads the route perfectly and jams on his own breaks, driving back to the catch point and breaking up the throw.

To pull this together, let’s look at this video of Howard intercepting Justin Herbert, which is a great example not just of Howard’s elite traits but also how he fit in the Dolphins defense last season:

In all, Howard offers the Dolphins — or any potential suitors — the traits needed to be a lockdown cornerback in today’s NFL. Howard can handle anything asked of a man coverage cornerback, and teams looking to employ heavy man coverage schemes would be wise to inquire about his services. Howard has dealt with injuries in the past, including a left knee injury that required surgery in December of 2019, but players with his skillset are a valuable defensive piece in today’s NFL. A team to watch might be the Arizona Cardinals, who have added some pieces on the defensive side of the football this offseason including cornerback Malcolm Butler, but bringing in Howard would go a long way towards shoring up that secondary.