During the last two seasons under head coach Mike McDaniel, the Miami Dolphins have been one of the most improved teams in the entire NFL.
The Dolphins have made a number of roster moves in the last two years to prove their commitment to building a winning football team, like trading for wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Jalen Ramsey, and pass rusher Bradley Chubb while signing free agents like offensive tackle Terron Armstead and running back Raheem Mostert.
However, Miami has had to spend a bunch of money to acquire all of these notable players, and now they’ve got to make some tough roster moves this offseason just to get under the salary cap before the new league year in March.
One of these difficult roster decisions sounds like it might be the departure of longtime cornerback Xavien Howard, according to AllDolphins.com’s Omar Kelly (via Dov Kleiman on Twitter).
𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭: #Dolphins CB Xavien Howard is expected to be a post June first cut, per @OmarKelly pic.twitter.com/AXFKJDml0z
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 23, 2024
According to OverTheCap.com, Howard is currently scheduled to have a cap hit of more than $25.9 million for the 2024 season.
Howard will turn 31 in July, and his performance has been in the decline in each of the last two seasons.
In 2023, Miami’s veteran defensive back finished with the 98th-best defensive grade from PFF out of 127 qualifying cornerbacks around the NFL.
That grade should be much higher for a player who is currently scheduled to have a cap hit of more than $25 million for the 2024 season.
Perhaps a contract restructure could prevent Howard from parting with the Dolphins this offseason, but at the very least, his time in Miami is likely nearing the end.
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