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Down in Miami, the Xavien Howard trade rumors in 2021 are going wild. The Dolphins went from nearly making the playoffs last season to falling flat on their face out of the gate this year.
As a result, all of the Dolphins trade rumors involve them trading away star players rather than acquiring pieces to make them better.
In Howard’s case, he’s under contract through the 2023 season, so he could still be part of Miami’s future.
But with two and a half years left on his contract and Howard coming off an All-Pro season in which he led the NFL in interceptions, his value on the trade market will never be higher than it is right now.
Xavien Howard trade rumors 2021
It’d be foolish if the Dolphins didn’t at least explore the best Xavien Howard trade fits because there’s no question that teams will be interested if Miami makes him available.
That doesn’t mean they have to trade him if they don’t get a good enough offer. But he’s clearly on the trade block, which is why it’s worth taking a closer look at some of the top Xavien Howard trade fits right now.
Cardinals
The Cardinals appear to be the most likely trade destination for Howard. Arizona is clearly one of the best teams in the league with an offense that makes the Cardinals a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Of course, the Arizona defense has quietly been one of the best in the NFL as well. If there’s a weakness on that side of the ball, it could be cornerback, which means that Howard could be the final piece of Arizona’s championship puzzle.
Cowboys
Dallas undoubtedly has a championship-caliber offense, although it’s hard to say the same for the defense.
Granted, the Cowboys already have one of the best cornerbacks in the league in Trevon Diggs, who already has seven interceptions on the season.
Imagine having Howard playing alongside him at the other cornerback spot. That tandem could be the best in the NFL and help hide some of the other deficiencies that the Cowboys have on defense.
Saints
If the Saints are going to make the playoffs this year, they’ll have to do it on the back of their defense. At the moment, the New Orleans secondary looks to be one cornerback away from being the best secondary in the league.
Marshon Lattimore is at one cornerback spot, but if the Saints had Howard at the other, they would have something special.
On offense, the Saints just have to wait and hope to get healthy, but trading for Howard is something they could do on defense to boost their playoff hopes.
Chiefs
Surprisingly, the Chiefs have a lot of problems at the moment, and giving up 29 points per game is one of them.
The Kansas City pass rush just hasn’t been as good as the team’s personnel would suggest.
That means the Chiefs might need to look for an upgrade on the back end of the defense. That puts them in the market for an elite cornerback like Howard, who could make a big difference.
Given their offense, the Chiefs don’t need to be elite defensively, but they should at least be in the middle of the pack. If they were to acquire Howard, he could make enough of a difference to put Kansas City back among the elite teams in the AFC.
