3 teams that should sign Xavien Howard once Dolphins release becomes official
By Lior Lampert
2. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions were one of the league’s best success stories in 2023 before blowing a 17-point first-half lead to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game and ultimately falling short of making their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
While it was a monumental season for the Lions that had plenty of positive takeaways, the secondary was their Achilles heel and plagued them throughout the season, ranking near the bottom in several defensive passing metrics.
73.84 percent of the total yardage Detroit’s defense surrendered in 2023 was through the air, which led the league. The Lions also ranked 27th in opponent passing touchdowns allowed per game (1.7), 30th in opponent yards per pass attempt (7.4), and allowed the second-most passing yards per game (257.0).
In other words, the cornerback duo of Cameron Sutton and Jerry Jacobs left much to be desired last season.
Like the Colts, Howard can join the Lions and instantly slot into a starting gig on a contending team, one that was a half away from playing in the big game in 2023.
Detroit could find themselves in a similar situation in 2024, given the talent across the roster, the culture head coach Dan Campbell is instilling, and the offensive genius of coordinator Ben Johnson.