How the Dolphins Wide Receivers View the Matchup Against X

The Miami Dolphins will see a very familiar face Sunday as cornerback Xavien Howard is set to make his return after a year away from football. 

Howard, a 2016 second-round pick by the Dolphins, didn’t play in 2024 after being released by the franchise in March in a move to create salary cap space. One year later, the 2020 first-team All-Pro is listed as a starting cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts — Miami’s Week 1 opponent. 

“‘X’, he’s a great player, man,” Tyreek Hill said Wednesday. “Me and him came in together, he’s in Year 10. He’s one of those guys who understands coverages, who understands certain routes, so we’ve got to be on top of our game. He’s definitely a playmaker.”

Howard started 99 games over eight seasons with the Dolphins. A defensive cornerstone, he was named to four Pro Bowls and was a two-time All-Pro while in Miami. He led the league with 10 interceptions in 2020 and tied for the league lead with seven in 2018.

“It’s going to be tough, man. ‘X’ is a great competitor, a great cornerback,” Jaylen Waddle added. “He definitely helped me out a lot in my career. A real good vet, I’m excited to go against him.”

However, when it comes to testing Howard deep Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium after a year away from football, Hill said that decision falls on quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

“It’s all up to the quarterback,” Hill said. “Tua, he’s one of those guys, he can see the whole defense, so if he looks at me and gives me a certain look — if he gives me this look, y’all know what time it is.”

Howard’s Road to Indianapolis

Howard started 13 games for the Dolphins in 2023, and opposing quarterbacks completed 62 percent of their passes for 502 yards and two touchdowns when targeting him, according to Pro Football Focus. It also marked his second straight season with only one interception.

A foot injury in Week 17 ended Howard’s season, but he has since made a full recovery. He was reportedly healthy enough to draw a contract offer from the Cincinnati Bengals last November but declined and sat out the remainder of the year. He then agreed to a one-year contract with the Colts in mid-August this summer. 

Lou Anarumo, Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator at the time of Howard’s workout last year, not only spent two seasons with him as a defensive assistant in Miami but also is now the Colts’ defensive coordinator.

“I think that he's come in in great shape,” Anarumo said. “And being away from the game for a year, you can look at that two different ways. As a veteran guy who gave his legs a year off, then got back into it, now basically three weeks of training camp and a week of game prep coming up. We'll see how it goes.” 

The Colts managed injuries at cornerback throughout the preseason, which went into the decision to sign Howard. While he’s currently listed as a first-string cornerback, Indianapolis enters Week 1 of the regular season with no defensive players on the injury report. 

Given Anarumo’s comments and the Colts getting back to full strength, Howard’s exact role against Miami in Week 1 remains to be seen.

“We’ll play it by ear,” Anarumo added when asked if Howard will have a full workload in Week 1.

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