Howard's Place Among NFL Cornerbacks and in Dolphins History
Former NFL player and current media analyst Darius Butler had the perfect response when the Madden ratings for cornerbacks came out Thursday and Xavien Howard was nowhere to be found on the top 10 list.
No, Howard has not retired, but the folks who got together to compile the ratings at every position somehow decided there were eight cornerbacks better than him heading into the 2022 NFl season.
Howard didn't show up on the top 10 list, though he technically tied for 10th with an 89 rating.
HOWARD AGAINST OTHER TOP NFL CORNERBACKS
For the record, the nine ahead of Howard were Jalen Ramsey (98 rating), Jaire Alexander (94), Tre'Davious White (93), Denzel Ward (92), Darius Slay Jr. (92), Marshon Lattimore (91), Stephon Gilmore (91), J.C. Jackson (90) and Marlon Humphrey (90).
Howard is coming a third Pro Bowl season in four years when he finished with five interceptions, two touchdowns and a game-winning forced fumble/fumble recovery in the opener against the New England Patriots.
Howard's advanced stats, according to Pro Football Reference, included a 52.7 completion percentage allowed with a 72.6 passer rating when targeted.
Excluding Alexander, who was limited to four games by injuries last season but whose spot in the top five shouldn't be disputed, this is where Howard ranked in coverage stats with the top nine.
Interceptions: Second, Jackson was first with eight.
Completion percentage allowed: Third, Jackson was first at 49.1 and White was second at 51.6.
Passer rating allowed when targeted: Fourth, Jackson was first at 46.8, followed by White at 59.9 and Ramsey at 71.1.
So based on those metrics, Howard clearly belongs in the top five.
That's where Howard landed in ESPN's recent player rankings, which were based on conversations with league executives, coaches, scouts and players.
Howard came in fourth in those rankings behind Ramsey, Alexander and Lattimore, and from here we're OK with Ramsey and Alexander, but Lattimore's advanced stats from 2021 simply weren't that good.
Lattimore allowed a completion percentage of 57.5 and a passer rating of 92.7 when targeted in 2021.
One more thing with Howard, it's not like he hasn't been good for a while.
He was downright brilliant in 2020 when he tied a franchise record with 10 interceptions and tied for the NFL lead with seven interceptions in 2018.
So let's just say that Howard, without question, belongs at least in the top five in any ranking of NFL cornerbacks, if not the top three.
HOWARD'S PLACE IN DOLPHINS HISTORY
When it comes to the top cornerbacks in Dolphins history, Howard also clearly belongs in the top five and it says here he might end up at the absolute top before he's done.
Howard currently has 27 career interceptions, which ranks third among Dolphins cornerbacks behind Sam Madison (31) and Patrick Surtain (29), who both joined the coaching staff this offseason.
Other top cornerbacks to play for the Dolphins through the years would have to include Curtis Johnson, Terrell Buckley and Brent Grimes, although the latter played only three (brilliant) seasons with Miami.
Howard's three Pro Bowl selections are tied for second-most on the team with Grimes and Surtain behind the four by Madison, who at this point probably would get the nod as the best cornerback in team history based on sustained excellence for a longer period of time than Howard.
An argument could be made for Surtain being second, though it's almost splitting hairs between him and Madison, but Howard is closing in fast on both of them.
