Xavien Howard Cut By Dolphins; Should Bills Sign?
After sweeping the Miami Dolphins in the regular season, including a 21-14 win in Week 18 to claim the AFC East title, will the Buffalo Bills find a way to stick to their division rival in the offseason by signing one of their former defensive players?
The Dolphins cut cornerback Xavien Howard on Friday to free up some much-needed cap space, though they're still $24 over the cap, according to Over The Cap, even after cutting the former All-Pro defensive back. In his eight-year run in Miami, Howard was one of the best cornerbacks in football, accumulating 29 interceptions and 95 passes defended. Howard had one of the best years by a defensive back in recent memory in 2020, when he had a league-leading 10 interceptions and 20 passes defended.
While his best days are likely behind him as he turns 31 before next season, should the Bills pursue signing the four-time Pro Bowler? If he's available for the right price, the Bills would be remiss not to check in on Howard, though they have a lot of work to do before they can even think about signing any free agents.
Xavien Howard defending Stefon Diggs.
© Gregory Fisher, USA TODAY
For as bad as the Dolphins' cap situation is, Buffalo is in an even worse spot. The Bills are the most over the cap in the league at $41.74 million and will likely have to cut multiple players and restructure deals to get out of the hole.
Should Buffalo get to a cap situation where it can pursue free agents, it has two ways to go about retooling the defense. It could address its exodus of pass rushers by re-signing Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa or other free agents at the position, or the Bills could add to their secondary to make up for a lack of pass rush. The best path toward addressing both needs will likely come down to supply, demand and price in free agency and the 2024 draft for Buffalo.
If the Bills want to improve their secondary, Howard is an intriguing option on a team-friendly deal. The big concern would be over his health, as he's missed multiple games in each of the last two seasons.
If the former All-Pro's health doesn't raise any concerns, Howard can be an impact signing for a defense that has continually been one of the best in football but has fallen short in the playoffs. Howard, alongside Rasul Douglas, can form one of the better cornerback tandems in football if they can stay healthy and potentially be the missing piece to get Buffalo over the hump.
At his peak, Howard was one of the best cornerbacks in football. If that's the version Buffalo can get, it should be all in on the veteran defensive back who used to give the Bills fits. It's just a matter of Buffalo getting its cap situated to where it can even pursue players of Howard's caliber in free agency.
