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Veteran cornerback Xavien Howard reportedly worked out for the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, according to NFL reporter Josina Anderson, though she added that her “understanding is that the Cowboys don’t have immediate plans to sign” him.
Howard, who has not caught on with a team since being released by the Miami Dolphins in March, worked out for the Cincinnati Bengals in November and reportedly even received an offer from the team but chose to decline it.
In his prime, the 31-year-old Howard was one of the better cornerbacks in football, earning four Pro Bowl bids and one first-team All-Pro selection. Across eight NFL seasons, all with the Dolphins, he recorded 331 tackles, 29 interceptions, two pick-sixes, 95 passes defensed, two sacks, five fumbles recovered and four forced fumbles.
But with Howard not playing at an elite level in 2023 and set to count for nearly $26 million against the cap in 2024, the Dolphins chose to release him.
“That was a tough one,” general manager Chris Grier told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine regarding Howard’s release. “Xavien and I had a long conversation because he was the second player I drafted here in 2016. He and I have been through a lot of stuff here and we were just talking about how proud I was from early when he first got here. … We had a long discussion and he understood it was a business decision. At the end of the day, we just felt it was right for him to have this opportunity for his agent to go see what’s out there for him.”
As for the Cowboys, starting cornerback Trevon Diggs hasn’t played since Week 11 as he recovers from a hamstring issue and is currently listed as questionable heading into Monday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Josh Butler, meanwhile, is done for the season after tearing his ACL against the New York Giants on Thanksgiving. So adding depth at cornerback would make sense for Dallas, though Howard doesn’t appear to be an option at the moment.