The Colts add former All-Pro CB ahead of the regular season, who gets to have a revenge game against his former team in Week 1
Colts land former all pro CB with injuries piling up at the position
The Indianapolis Colts have seen four of their top five CBs suffer injuries during training camp. Rookie Justin Walley landed on IR with a torn ACL, Kenny Moore II sustained a knee injury last week, and Juju Brents and Jaylon Jones missed almost all of camp with hamstring injuries.
So it’s pretty obvious the team needed to make a move at CB ahead of the regular season. And the Colts elected to do just that ahead of their final preseason game by signing a former NFL All-Pro CB.
Colts sign former Dolphins CB Xavien Howard
The Colts are signing former Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard. Howard has spent his entire eight season NFL career with the Dolphins, most recently starting 13 games for the franchise. Howard, at his peak in the NFL, was a certified ball hawk, leading the NFL in interceptions twice in 2018 and 2020. In 2020, he recorded his career high with 10 interceptions as well as 20 pass deflections, which also led the NFL. However, we are five seasons removed from that fantastic season, so the Colts know they are not getting that version of Howard.
Howard is now 32 years old and is returning to the NFL after a year removed from the league. The Colts are offering Howard a one-year deal worth up to $5 million, and he will provide much-needed depth to the cornerback room. With so many injuries at CB, there is a real world where he finds himself starting for the Colts come Week 1 of the regular season against none other than Howard’s former team, the Dolphins. Multiple UDFA’s began to emerge as options to make the Colts’ roster at CB, and there was concern that the unit could undermine a Colts defense that many had high expectations for this year. Instead, the Colts get a veteran who has played 100 games in the NFL and logged 99 starts since entering the league.
Thoughts on the end of his Dolphins tenure
“Howard’s instincts in coverage are where he’s hung his hat throughout the entirety of his career with the Dolphins. He’s a ball magnet who can be aggressive on the perimeter — but when the ball is in the air, few have taken better angles or shown better anticipation in breaking on the ball. The big question for Howard is how much bounce he was able to recover in his legs. As a 30-year old corner in 2023, he appeared to show plenty of signs of slowing down. Did the year off help or hurt his ability to transition in space and his long speed to protect over the top? That’s what the Dolphins will likely look to test early in Week 1 and what the Colts have to find out in the next few weeks beforehand.” – Kyle Crabbs
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