Remember earlier today when we said the Dolphins had a Xavien Howard problem in 2019 and ran the risk of having a future Xavien Howard problem if they didn’t proceed with caution? The Dolphins have dropped a hammer on that potential problem with swift action. As a result, cornerback Xavien Howard will not play again for the Dolphins this season — the team is putting him on the injured reserve list.
The most hurts the Dolphins in the short-term, as the team’s depth at corner is woeful to begin with and now without Howard, Miami will struggle to defend receivers in the secondary for the rest of the season. Howard, who was active for each of Miami’s first four games of the year, missed two before playing the first half against Pittsburgh before his knee issues kept him off the field once more.
Howard’s knee will keep him off the field for the remainder of the season in Miami, meaning Howard will have missed 15 of a possible 20 games by the time the 2020 season kicks off next fall. Does his absence hurt Miami? Yes, without a doubt. He’s the Dolphins’ best player on the active roster, bar none.
But if there were any question about Howard’s long-term health and this knee injury’s impact down the road, Miami made the right decision. At 0-7, they are better off protecting Howard’s long-term status instead of risking his health for a team that won’t see the postseason and is unlikely to win more than a handful of games.
