One year after signing an extension with the Miami Dolphins, cornerback Xavien Howard is reportedly looking for a trade. Following a career year, Howard believes that he deserves more guaranteed money, while the team wants him to honor his original contract. All of the other 31 teams would love to have a talented player like Howard on their roster, but which teams have the highest odds of pulling off a trade?
Xavien Howard: pic.twitter.com/CdeL70tUqh
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2021
Four Teams That Could Trade For Xavien Howard
Dallas Cowboys
As long as Dak Prescott is in town, the Dallas Cowboys will always have good odds of making the playoffs. However, Prescott can’t do it on his own. The Cowboys heavily invested in their defense during the NFL Draft, but acquiring Howard would be the best way to guarantee defensive improvement. Cornerback is arguably the most important defensive position in football, and there aren’t many out there better than Howard.
The biggest issue here is the money. As of this posting, the Cowboys only have $5.4 million in available cap space, per Over the Cap. Trading for Howard would mean giving him more guaranteed money (at the very least), so it’s impossible to know his exact cap number right now. Dallas might need to restructure some deals to make the money work, but that’s a move worth making for a player of Howard’s skills.
Baltimore Ravens
Over the past few years, the Baltimore Ravens have made a clear commitment to building around their secondary. Marlon Humphrey is one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and Marcus Peters is no slouch. However, in today’s pass-heavy league, there is no such thing as too many good cornerbacks. Adding Howard to the mix would give Baltimore the best secondary in football by a comfortable margin and could slow down just about any passing attack. With Lamar Jackson still on his rookie deal, the Ravens should be doing everything possible to maximize the odds of winning it all before the quarterback earns a massive payday.
[pickup_prop id=”9663″]
Los Angeles Chargers
While Lamar Jackson could sign his extension at any moment, the Los Angeles Chargers still have two or three seasons before they need to think about extending Justin Herbert. There is no bigger competitive advantage than a franchise quarterback on a rookie deal, so now Los Angeles should do everything they can to build an elite team. The Chargers already had a fantastic offseason, but adding Howard would allow them to immediately be one of the Super Bowl favorites. This team has talent throughout the roster, all they have to do is stay healthy.
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills should have one of the NFL’s best offenses, but the defense could use some work. Tre’Davious White is a fantastic cornerback, but the rest of the depth chart leaves something to be desired. Just about everyone expected the Bills to add a cornerback in the NFL Draft, but the team decided to bolster the front seven instead. Adding Howard now, combined with the improvements to the pass rush, could give Buffalo an elite defense to pair with the high-flying passing attack.
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