Former Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard Ready to Answer the Call
Xavien Howard is ready, willing and able to return after a year out of the NFL, and he’s willing to listen to any offers.
That most definitely includes his long-time team, the Miami Dolphins.
“(Heading) into (2025), and we’re really just waiting to get a call and they’ll see what teams are talking about,” Howard said on the latest episode of the Dive Bar Podcast. “I’m open to (playing for) anybody. It’s on them though. I’m still healthy, still staying in shape, still working out and stuff like that.”
Howard didn’t play at all in 2024 after being released by the Dolphins in the offseason in a move heavily influenced by cap considerations.
It didn’t help that Howard was coming off a significant foot injury that he told the Dive Bar Podcast was a Lis Franc issue.
Howard worked out for both the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys, but didn’t sign with either. He said teams wanted him to sign an injury waiver, and he wasn’t going to go for that.
Howard said he had no conversations with the Dolphins after being released but left on good terms with GM Chris Grier.
“Yeah, we haven’t talked … but Grier kept the door open for me and stuff like that,” Howard said. “He was, like, just ‘let us know’ this and that, this and that.’ But he never reached out. And I never reached out. My agent never reached out to him.”
Howard received a call during the podcast and his screen went black. After he returned, Howard was asked whether it was Grier who had called.
“Nah, he wasn’t calling me,” Howard laughed, then was asked if that number was blocked. “Grier stays around the corner from me! We live in the same neighborhood.”
One part of the interview that may come as a surprise to some was when Howard, who’s fourth on Miami’s all-time interceptions list with 29, went a little bit against the grain as it relates to what coaching style suited him best as a player after playing for Adam Gase (2016-18), Brian Flores (2019-21) and Mike McDaniel (2022-23).
“My best coaching style, I feel like for me was Brian Flores,” Howard said. “I probably feel like it’s a certain way you have to coach guys. It’s probably a little bit sensitive right now because people don’t want to get yelled at. They don’t want to do this and do that. But it’s like, at the end of the day, bro, we play a manly sport, and it’s like you gotta be tough.”
As for what he felt Flores did for him, the 31-year old (he turns 32 on July 4th) didn’t hesitate.
“I feel like he got better each year and understand that he can be himself and still win games,” Howard said. “He can have fun. He can laugh with people and everything … but that was probably my best coaching style. Like, because … even if I did some good, he never celebrated it and I feel like that was my best (expletive) … because of how he approached it and how he did that to everybody … it doesn’t matter who you were. He held everybody to the same standard, and I respect him a lot for that.”
As the Dolphins enter 2025, Howard’s old position is one of concern with Jalen Ramsey returning but no firm starter in place opposite him after the team released Kendall Fuller on February 14.
The Dive Bar crew asked about third-year pro Cam Smith, with whom Howard played during Smith’s rookie campaign in 2023. Howard paused, seemingly to find the right words before answering.
“I like Cam. I like Cam’s game … I really liked his game when we drafted him,” Howard said. “I’m, like, oh yeah, he’s gonna be nice. I feel like sometimes it’s like guys drafted first round/second round, they come in, they want to play. They think they should play, and then like the year Noah (Igbinoghene) came, me and Byron Jones were playing… so everyone knows where it’s going to be like, ‘I’m gonna take his spot? I’m going to take his spot? They are both getting paid.
“He was behind us learning, but I feel like just sitting on the sideline is not really good, because at the end of the day we play cornerback. We got to go out there and really physically get in the game and understand because there’s certain stuff you can learn on the sideline, but it’s different when you get on the field and you’re actually playing.”
Finally, for a player who, as it stands, has posted 331 tackles, 95 pass breakups and 29 interceptions in his NFL career – including two in a Monday night win over Tom Brady and the Patriots when he was playing sick – one would think that any one of those moments would come up as Howard’s favorite with the Dolphins.
Surprisingly when asked, however, it was the “Miami Miracle” his rookie year, he chose a play for which he wasn’t even on the field.
“That was my best moment because I was on the sideline during that time and that’s probably my funnest time as being a Dolphin,” Howard said. “That’s when we had Adam Gase and I was a young guy, so it wasn’t that much pressure on me like that. It was more fun and a lot of guys — we bonded a lot, especially in the locker room.”
