Tick, tock.
That sound you hear is the 2020 NFL season creeping ever closer on the horizon. There’s been plenty of change this summer, which has disrupted the sense of football growing on the horizon — but make no mistake, it is nearly here. The Miami Dolphins will play their first football game of the season in less than three weeks, a date with the AFC East champion New England Patriots awaits them.
And with the arrival of football creeping up on it, it is just about time we ask ourselves whether or not cornerback Xavien Howard is going to be ready to go in time. These Miami Dolphins, under the direction of Brian Flores, like to refer to taking things one day at a time, but every day that passes us by now makes the likelihood of Howard taking the field with the Dolphins in Week 1 that much more of a long shot.
Howard not only is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list as he continues to rehab and recover from offseason surgery but he also spent time this month on the Dolphins’ COVID-19/reserve list, missing the first week of practice as a result. But even if Howard were available due to coronavirus protocols, he’d be limited in what he could participate in until he is cleared for activity. Howard’s week absence at this point is a double whammy — he not only missed a week of practice, he missed a week of therapy that would bring him closer to being able to practice.
The good news is that Howard was spotted at Dolphins practice on Saturday, working primarily on the side with trainers. But he’s now on the clock. The arrival of the 2020 season isn’t going to slow down. And Howard, at this point, feels like anything but a lock to be ready for it.