Since being selected with pick No. 38 in the 2016 NFL draft out of Baylor, Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has been one of the best in the league at his position.
In just six seasons, Howard’s earned three Pro Bowl nominations and one first-team All-Pro selection while recording 241 tackles, 71 passes defended, 27 interceptions (league-leading since 2016), four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson took the time to put together their metrics for press coverage, which the Dolphins use frequently, and the numbers over the last two years are kind to Howard, as he’s listed as the best press cornerback in the NFL.
In press coverage, he received an 87.3 coverage grade, allowing 39.3% completions, a 42.2 passer rating and 1.07 yards per coverage snap.
While guys like Jamel Dean and Ronald Darby have allowed .34 and .39 yards per coverage snap respectively, neither are playing the amount of press coverage that the Dolphins cornerbacks are seeing. Howard (463) and Byron Jones (447), Miami’s top two at the position, ranked fourth and fifth respectively in total press snaps.
The same could be said for passer rating. Darby (39.6) and Patrick Surtain II (39.8) led the league in passer rating allowed, but they had fewer opportunities.
Here’s what Monson wrote about Howard:
“Xavien Howard has been the best cornerback in the NFL over the past two seasons when lined up in press coverage, judging by PFF coverage grade. Those grades are a play-by-play recording of every snap in coverage before they are translated to a 0-100 scale. Howard has given up some yardage into his coverage on those plays, but he has also more than made up for that. Passes targeting him when he has been in press coverage over the past two seasons have generated a lowly 42.2 passer rating, less than half the average of all passes leaguewide.”
With questions about Miami’s defense in their first year without Brian Flores, Howard has the ability to silence the doubters when the season begins.
