Dolphins’ season opener vs. Colts gets spicier as longtime Miami defensive star signs in Indianapolis ahead of Week 1 showdown

Howard was a second-round draft pick by the Dolphins in the 2016 NFL Draft and finished his career with the Dolphins as one of the best ball-hawks in franchise history. Howard, who had 29 career interceptions in Miami, tied for fourth on the team's all-time leaderboard and trailed only Jake Scott (35 interceptions), Dick Anderson (34), and Sam Madison (31).

Howard was cut as a Post-June 1st designation last spring ahead of the 2024 season and sat out the entire year. He did garner interest from a handful of teams and even went on a visit in Dallas in early December but no deal was made for a return to action. Now, nearly a year and a half after his contract with Miami was terminated, he returns to an NFL roster.

He'll now play the first game of his NFL career as a member of another team against the Dolphins — and the Colts must hope that the year off has given Howard fresh legs amid the coverage assignments he'll draw between speedsters Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill. After several years of practicing against one another, all of these parties know each other quite well and it offers a fun new dynamic to the season opener for both teams.

We'll see how much Howard has left in the tank, and if he can make the Dolphins regret their decision to move on, when this matchup rolls around next month.