It had been more than 600 days since former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard last played in a regular season game, but the two-time All-Pro showed little rust in his return Sunday.
Howard, a 2016 second-round pick by Miami, played 31 defensive snaps for the Indianapolis Colts and recovered a fumble in the 33-8 win against the Dolphins. Following eight seasons in South Florida, Howard had an idea of what to expect facing his former team and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
“We knew he gets the ball out pretty quick,” Howard said, per the Colts’ team website. “And once we take away his first read, I feel like it’s panic mode after that. And it showed yesterday. We took away his first read, and he was trying to get rid of the ball real quick.”
Tagovailoa took three sacks and committed three turnovers in the loss at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts’ defense controlled the game, keeping Miami out of the end zone until a late fourth-quarter touchdown when the outcome was already decided.
“We knew it was a lot of…quick throws in the middle,” Howard said. “So I told them to clog the middle and make sure they throw the ball outside. And we clogged the middle and made – I think we got two interceptions by clogging the middle.”
Typically known for his accuracy, Tagovailoa was unable to find any sort of rhythm on opening day. The Dolphins were held to 43 total yards in the first half, while wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle ended the game with 70 combined receiving yards on eight receptions.
Before joining the Colts, Howard last played Dec. 31, 2023, when he suffered a season-ending foot injury in Miami’s 56-19 loss against the Baltimore Ravens. A free agent for all of last season, the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback reportedly turned down a contract offer from the Cincinnati Bengals last November.
Lou Anarumo, Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator at the time of Howard’s workout last year, took over as DC of the Colts this offseason. His familiarity with Howard dates back even further, spending two seasons together in Miami when Anarumo was a defensive assistant.
“Lou’s a hell of a defensive coordinator,” Howard said. “He schemed some stuff up to get the guys in position to make some plays.”
Howard signed with the Colts in mid-August and was quickly thrust into action due to injuries at cornerback. Despite the extended layoff, he was Indianapolis’ third cornerback Sunday behind Kenny Moore and Charvarius Ward, who each played 45 snaps on defense.
Howard played primarily on the boundary in three-cornerback packages during his return to football, and the Colts may be forced to put more on his plate moving forward.
Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen announced that Ward entered concussion protocol on Monday, while Jaylon Jones, who started 17 games last season, left Sunday with a hamstring injury.
More Miami Dolphins Coverage:
Source link
