The Dolphins cutting Xavien Howard irritated his now former teammate Jalen Ramsey , who insinuated that Vic Fangio misused them both in his one year in Miami.
Ramsey vented on X about what happened to Howard on Friday. The Dolphins notified Howard, the four-time Pro Bowler, that the team will release him March 13, the first day of the NFL’s new business year.
Ramsey described Howard as the best cornerback in Dolphins history. Then he assigned some blame with what happened. “I won’t ever forgive dude for not utilizing our full skillset!”
It appears he was talking about Fangio, a long-time NFL defensive coordinator. He only spent a single season in Miami Gardens. He and the Dolphins parted ways a month ago and Fangio then returned to Philadelphia to become defensive coordinator for the Eagles.
Under Fangio, the Dolphins ranked 15th in the league in pass defense, allowing 221.2 yards per game. The rush defense ranked seventh in the NFL, limiting teams to 97.1 yards per game.
Miami also ranked third in the league in sacks (56) and tied for eighth in forced turnovers (27).
Howard wasn’t the only Dolphins defender to get axed on Friday. Miami also released edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah. Both players saw a dip in their respective production last season. It was the first time Howard failed to earn a Pro Bowl spot since 2019. He appeared in 13 games, grabbing one interception, with 12 pass breakups and 45 tackles. He was in on 88 percent of the Dolphins defensive snaps.
Then there was Ogbah, who registered 5.5 sacks in 2023. That was down by almost half since he signed his last contract.
Even Ramsey didn’t have the year he wanted. But that was mostly because he injured his knee in training camp and did not return to the active roster until the end of October.
Both moves were to trim costs. The Dolphins will save $18.5 million in 2024 by cutting Howard. Meanwhile, Miami saved almost $14 million against the cap by releasing Ogbah. Plus, both players are turning 31 this year.
The Dolphins still are above the salary cap.
Meanwhile, Howard likely will draw big interest in the free agent market. It’s difficult to ignore his four Pro Bowls. And speedy cornerbacks are at a premium in the NFL. Ogbah also plays a much-needed position.
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