Howard Questionable, Needham Called Up… Concerning?

Howard is questionable for the Skins game along with three other Phins corners

Will Xavien Howard miss the 13th game of his young career this week? The Miami Dolphins must be wondering themselves… Or maybe their concern is with corners Jomal Wiltz, Chris Lammons, and Johnson Bademosi who are also questionable.

However you slice it, the Phins brass must be worried about something because they waived safety Doug Middleton and added Nik Needham to the 53 man roster.

As much as I hate the ‘Tank for Tua’ thing and want a win this week to stop the incessant talk of it, I’m more concerned about Howard’s knee heading into the game. Whatever happens this season, you can bet with the pay per head sportsbook services Howard is a big part of the future. He was paid a mega-deal in the offseason to be a cornerstone of this team, but so far, his play has been poor. Although there was an uptick in his play in Week 4. With three surgeries on his knee already, having another knee issue, even a minor one, is a big deal… if it’s on the same knee. Reports haven’t indicated which knee is the injured one

While the Phins poor pass rush hasn’t helped their secondary, Howard’s lack of success in coverage can’t all be attributed to a lack of pressure. The stat comparison from this season to last is pretty startling. In 2018 Howard has a 77.0 PFF grade that is near double his 45.0 grade in 2019. He is unbelievably ranked 96th at his position through 4 games.

Yung Mayo succinctly shows how good a season Howard had last year

Has Howard been anything near this type of player?…

… Nope. So what gives?

I’m starting to wonder how long Howard has been battling a knee issue? Is it longer than has been reported? Howard missed plenty of action in preseason games. With a whole week off and two weeks in total to rest, the fact he was limited in practice all week does raise a red flag. But, it also could be just a precautionary measure.

Howard playing on Sunday, having zero issues, and being productive would flush these concerns down the crapper.

Who will take Howard’s place if he can’t go?

According to Armando Salguero, Needham is being brought up for special teams. Lammons has a bad toe, Bademosi a twisted ankle, and Wiltz a groin issue. Toes and ankles can be played through if they can be practiced on. Groin and knee injuries are more fickle. Ken Webster is the only fully healthy corner. While I expect a committee to fill in for Howard if he does miss the game or is limited, Webster could see far more action this week than he has seen so far.

None of this will remind us of Howard in 2018. Only a healthy Howard can do that… and boy oh boy does this team need that if they want to win.

There are plenty of storylines heading into this game… add one more with Howard. Go Phins!!!

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