The Miami Dolphins inked Xavien Howard to a massive extension that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Grading the signing for Miami.
There’s no one that should mistake the state the Miami Dolphins are in as they enter the 2019 season. With Brian Flores taking over as head coach and Josh Rosen coming into the fold via trade, this is a team that is hitting the reset button as they start along the road to a rebuild. They have some pieces, however, to put them a bit further on that road. And the Dolphins clearly believe Xavien Howard is one of those pieces.
On Thursday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report that the Dolphins and the 2016 second-round pick reached an agreement on a lucrative extension. Per Schefter, the deal is worth $76 million over five seasons, including $46 million in guarantees. The deal makes Howard the highest-paid cornerback in the league.
For a team in the state of the Dolphins, it certainly makes sense for Miami to try and hang on to the valuable assets that they believe can help them win in the future. Moreover, with Howard being just 26 years old at the start of the 2019 season, it stands to reason why they believe he could be such a player.
Having said that, keeping an asset you believe in and making them the highest-paid player at their position are two different things. So when handing out a grade for this extension, it’s hard to totally get on board.
The C+ grade should not be an indication that there is nothing to like about Howard as a player. In fact, he has show moments throughout his career that he can be a top-tier cornerback at the professional level. The problem, however, is that the Baylor product has never shown that with any kind of notable consistency.
As good as he can be at times on the field, Howard can be equally as problematic or forgettable in other instances. He’s been an enigmatic force for Miami’s defense and, while that doesn’t mean you want him to be left off the roster moving forward, it does give you pause about paying him in such a hefty manner as the Dolphins are doing here.
Perhaps, with bringing in Flores and hopefully changing the culture in South Beach, the Dolphins believe that they will be able to cultivate an environment in which Howard can become a more reliable and consistent player. That has to be the hope with paying him to this degree because, if he doesn’t develop into that type of contributor, this deal could wind up looking quite egregious in the coming years.