There’s plenty of reason to believe Xavien Howard can have a bounce-back 2023 season.
The Miami Dolphins cornerback has an offseason to allow last year’s groin injuries to settle down. He has a top defensive mind in the game now leading the unit with the hiring of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whose array of zone coverages could benefit Howard. And he has another elite cornerback joining him in the secondary in Jalen Ramsey.
But what might fuel Howard the most is the perception that his career is on the decline as the four-time Pro Bowler turns 30 July 4.
“Just seeing people saying I’m washed, I’m getting older and stuff like that,” Howard said Wednesday in a news conference at team facilities after the Dolphins opened their offseason workout program Monday. “Just a little bit of motivation. People are going to say this and say that. I’ve been proving the critics wrong my whole life, so it’s nothing new.”
Sure, Howard was named to his fourth Pro Bowl in 2022, but it seemed like he was voted in more on reputation than his on-field performance over the course of the season.
“I really didn’t like it,” Howard said. “My expectations — I feel like it wasn’t Pro Bowl caliber. Even though I made it, I was like, ‘OK.’ But it made me even push harder. Like, I don’t want to get in like that.”
Howard was burned several times in coverage throughout the season. He surrendered a 101.2 passer rating in his coverage area and 9.3 yards per target. Normally a ballhawk as the NFL’s leader in interceptions since he entered the league in 2016 (28), Howard brought down just one in the 2022 regular season, plus another in the playoff loss in Buffalo.
Many of the issues had to do with lingering groin injuries he tried to play through since early in the season. Howard said he injured one groin Week 2 against the Baltimore Ravens. Playing extensive defensive snaps the following Sunday against the Bills, he hurt the other. He then had the tough turnaround of dealing with both ailing groins on a short week in Cincinnati.
But that’s all behind Howard.
“I’m healthy now,” he said. “All I needed was some rest. With a groin injury, week in and week out, especially playing defensive back and playing a lot of man [coverage], it put me down a little bit. But I’m better now.”
Unlike previous defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, Fangio deploys zone coverages much more often. This could help keep Howard’s legs fresher, and maybe it lets him get back to being the cornerback that had 10 interceptions in 2020, seven in 2018 and five in 2021.
“Getting my eyes on the quarterback is going to be something different,” Howard said. “I’m not looking at the quarterback so now I’ll get my eyes on the quarterback and understand route concepts. I feel like it’ll help my game.
“His defense has always been top five, so he’s been doing a good job at that. I’m looking forward to having him on my side now and improve our defense.”
Howard also now has a new cornerback mate in the three-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowl player, Ramsey. Coupling those two with safety Jevon Holland, either Brandon Jones or DeShon Elliott at the other safety and either Nik Needham or Kader Kohou at the nickel, could Miami form a top secondary in the NFL?
“I feel like the sky is the limit for the secondary,” Howard said. “I don’t want to put nothing out there right now. We still have to play, and we still have to do training camp and preseason. There’s a lot of stuff that we’ve got to get over.”
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