NFL rumors: 4 teams that should trade for Dolphins corner Xavien Howard

Xavien Howard’s stand-off with the Miami Dolphins may lead to a trade, here we identify four potential destinations.

Xavien Howard’s time with the Miami Dolphins could well be growing short.

The two-time first-team All-Pro cornerback will stay away from Dolphins training camp, unless he gets a new contract, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (h/t Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk).

Salguero says Howard wil then request a trade, potentially dealing a huge blow to a defense looking to make further strides in 2021 having played a significant role in Miami’s resurgence under Brian Flores last year, which saw the Dolphins narrowly miss out on the playoffs as they finished with a 10-6 record.

Howard intercepted a league-leading 10 passes in 2020 and also topped the charts in terms of pass breakups, registering 20 in a season in which he was unfortunate not to receive more hype as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

As a result, Howard will not be short of suitors, with the Dolphins sure to field plenty of calls from teams interested in his services should Miami fail to reach a resolution with the former second-round pick.

Indeed, there a host of teams looking to contend in 2021 whose prospects of doing so would be significantly boosted by the addition of a corner of Howard’s caliber.

But which of those franchises should make the biggest push for a corner who has racked up 22 interceptions in five seasons in the NFL?

Here we look at four teams with the need and, in some cases, the capital to aggressively pursue one of the top players in the league at his position and substantially improve their outlook in the secondary in 2021.