Adding a veteran cornerback seems to be in the Cincinnati Bengals' plans. They were recently turned down by Kristian Fulton, but another former second-round pick could be an option.
Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is still available, and current Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton made a recruiting pitch to the four-time Pro Bowl free agent over Twitter/X, much like he did last year for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
Does Howard fit what the Bengals need at cornerback?
Cincinnati watched Chidobe Awuzie become the highest-paid cornerback on the open market two weeks ago. Awuzie, who signed with the Bengals alongside Hilton three years ago, was not a surprising departure. Replacing him on the roster was a foregone conclusion, but it has not been accomplished yet.
Ideally, the Bengals can sign a veteran with past starting experience to fill in behind DJ Turner II, and potentially fill in for injury or in case Turner regresses in his second year starting.
Howard, a four-time Pro Bowler, does the fit the bill here, and also has a connection to defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo. Anarumo was Miami's defensive backs coach from 2016-17, the first two years of Howard's career.
History is an apt word to use considering how long ago the two were on the same team. As A to Z Sports' Evan Winter writes, Howard isn't the same player as he was in his early 20s, and any familiarity he had with Anarumo may not be as strong now.
"The Year 2 version of Howard is much different from the soon-to-be Year 8 edition, so it's unclear how much "familiarity" there will be, overall. The key will be the relationship between the two and how well they got along during their time together in Miami." - A to Z Sports' Evan Winter
There's also a difference between signing a player as a starter, and as a reserve. Howard would join on as the latter, and the money would reflect that. Anarumo wouldn't feel any pressure to start him over Turner unless he earned the chance.
Money doesn't appear to be what Howard is after nowadays. He recently told the Houston Chronicle as much.
"I'd rather take a pay cut to go to a team that's going to go further in the playoffs," Howard said. "I got my money and stuff like that. I'm to the point, like, 'How much money do you really need?'"
Filling out an important position group, bringing veteran and starting experience, and connection with the defensive coordinator for a low salary? That sounds great for the Bengals.
We'll see if Hilton's recruiting efforts pay off.
More must-reads: