With the injury to JuJu Brents, signing free agent cornerback Xavien Howard would be an ideal move by the Indianapolis Colts.
Will the Indianapolis Colts sign Xavien Howard? The Pro Bowl cornerback is currently a free agent. He would be a fantastic signing, especially after the Colts recently placed cornerback JuJu Brents on injured reserve.
Brents suffered a knee injury during the Week 1 loss to the Houston Texans. The Indianapolis native is expected to be sidelined for the remainder of the season. But there’s also a chance he could return later this year.
The Colts drafted Brents in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He missed eight games as a rookie last season due to injury. The Colts were hoping he’d emerge as an impact player this year. But things aren’t looking too good right now. With that said, the team needs to go out and get Howard as a replacement in the secondary.
Indianapolis Colts Need to Sign This Free Agent Defender
Xavien Howard’s Career Thus Far
Xavien Howard played his college ball for the Baylor Bears. He racked up 98 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 23 passes defended during his three seasons. He was a First-Team All-Big 12 selection in his final year.
The Miami Dolphins selected Howard in the second round (38th overall pick) of the 2016 draft. During his eight seasons as a Dolphin, he was named to the Pro Bowl four times. He was a First-Team-Pro in 2020 and a Second-Team All-Pro in 2018. Howard led the league in interceptions in both seasons.
Miami released Howard this past March. He produced 331 tackles and 95 passes deflected during his tenure with the franchise.
Indianapolis Has Failed to Upgrade Its Secondary
As every Colts fan knows, the secondary was the team’s biggest weakness last season. Oddly, general manager Chris Ballard didn’t do much to upgrade the unit during the offseason. Ballard did re-sign cornerback Kenny Moore II and safety Julian Blackmon. Those were great moves, considering they’re considered the team’s best two players in the secondary. Yet, Ballard and Co. needed to do more. The team failed to sign free agent safety Justin Simmons and watched him sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. Indianapolis possesses a ton of cap space and certainly could’ve afforded to land Simmons.
In this year’s draft, they waited until the fifth round to address the secondary. They took cornerbacks Jaylin Simpson (fifth round) and Micah Abraham (sixth round). Simpson is currently on the practice squad while Abraham was released.
Why the Colts Should Sign Howard
Following Brents’ injury, the Colts elevated practice squad cornerback Chris Lammons to the 53-man roster. Lammons is a solid player, but the Colts need a much bigger upgrade in the secondary. And Xavier Howard would be that guy.
The 31-year-old Howard would provide the CB room with a much-needed veteran. He’s a Pro-Bowler who can help out Indy’s younger cornerbacks like Jaylon Jones and Dallis Flowers. Would he transform the secondary from one of the league’s worst to one of the best? The answer is no. However, his addition to the Colts would make the unit better than it was.
Discussion about this post