Welcome back, Xavien Howard!
The Miami Dolphins’ standout cornerback is finally back onto the active roster, a hurdle that has been a long time coming for Howard. Howard’s return to the active roster cleared two hurdles yesterday with the Dolphins removing him from both the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and the COVID-19/reserve list.
Howard was one of just three NFL players to be on the COVID-19 reserve list at the time of his activation, he spent more than two weeks designated as a COVID-19 reserve. There is no confirmation of whether or not Howard did test positive for the virus.
But now Howard faces a much steeper task. The NFL regular season kicks off in just over two weeks and Howard, due to his time on the COVID-19/reserve list, has missed valuable time in working on his conditioning and getting reps that are supposed to help him get back into playing shape. The standout cornerback missed the majority of the 2019 NFL season after lingering knee issues derailed his campaign — leading to offseason surgery that ultimately prompted the Dolphins to place Howard on the PUP list entering camp.
The Dolphins will need to tread carefully here. It is clear that Howard’s knees are an area of concern; he’s been hindered by knee health for the majority of his NFL career. Howard missed half of his rookie season, four games in 2018 and 11 games last year and has had three knee procedures over recent years. Rushing the standout cornerback back into action may be tempting, but this is why the Dolphins spent so much to bolster their cornerback room. Miami will have options to make sure that when Howard steps foot on the field, he’s as ready as he’ll ever get and is of no added risk of re-injury.
Look for 2020 rookie CB Noah Igbinoghene to play a big role here. He’s been a standout throughout much of camp and, given his draft status, it is clear the Dolphins think highly of him. So Howard will be weaned into the picture. With two weeks until kickoff, we’ll see how much progress he can make.