There’s loads of purpose to imagine Xavien Howard can have a bounce-back 2023 season.
The Miami Dolphins cornerback has an offseason to permit final 12 months’s groin accidents to cool down. He has a high defensive thoughts within the recreation now main the unit with the hiring of defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, whose array of zone coverages may benefit Howard. And he has one other elite cornerback becoming a member of him within the secondary in Jalen Ramsey.
But what may gas Howard probably the most is the notion that his profession is on the decline because the four-time Pro Bowler turns 30 July 4.
“Just seeing people saying I’m washed, I’m getting older and stuff like that,” Howard mentioned Wednesday in a information convention at staff services after the Dolphins opened their offseason exercise program Monday. “Just a little bit of motivation. People are going to say this and say that. I’ve been proving the critics wrong my whole life, so it’s nothing new.”
Sure, Howard was named to his fourth Pro Bowl in 2022, but it surely appeared like he was voted in additional on repute than his on-field efficiency over the course of the season.
“I really didn’t like it,” Howard mentioned. “My expectations — I feel like it wasn’t Pro Bowl caliber. Even though I made it, I was like, ‘OK.’ But it made me even push harder. Like, I don’t want to get in like that.”
Howard was burned a number of instances in protection all through the season. He surrendered a 101.2 passer ranking in his protection space and 9.3 yards per goal. Normally a ballhawk because the NFL’s chief in interceptions since he entered the league in 2016 (28), Howard introduced down only one within the 2022 common season, plus one other within the playoff loss in Buffalo.
Many of the problems needed to do with lingering groin accidents he tried to play via since early within the season. Howard mentioned he injured one groin Week 2 towards the Baltimore Ravens. Playing in depth defensive snaps the next Sunday towards the Bills, he harm the opposite. He then had the robust turnaround of coping with each ailing groins on a brief week in Cincinnati.
But that’s all behind Howard.
“I’m healthy now,” he mentioned. “All I needed was some rest. With a groin injury, week in and week out, especially playing defensive back and playing a lot of man [coverage], it put me down a little bit. But I’m better now.”
Unlike earlier defensive coordinator Josh Boyer, Fangio deploys zone coverages way more usually. This may assist maintain Howard’s legs brisker, and possibly it lets him get again to being the cornerback that had 10 interceptions in 2020, seven in 2018 and 5 in 2021.
“Getting my eyes on the quarterback is going to be something different,” Howard mentioned. “I’m not trying on the quarterback so now I’ll get my eyes on the quarterback and perceive route ideas. I really feel prefer it’ll assist my recreation.
“His defense has always been top five, so he’s been doing a good job at that. I’m looking forward to having him on my side now and improve our defense.”
Howard additionally now has a brand new cornerback mate within the three-time All-Pro, six-time Pro Bowl participant, Ramsey. Coupling these two with security Jevon Holland, both Brandon Jones or DeShon Elliott on the different security and both Nik Needham or Kader Kohou on the nickel, may Miami kind a high secondary within the NFL?
“I feel like the sky is the limit for the secondary,” Howard mentioned. “I don’t want to put nothing out there right now. We still have to play, and we still have to do training camp and preseason. There’s a lot of stuff that we’ve got to get over.”
()
Source: www.bostonherald.com