The Indianapolis Colts have had a terrible time trying to keep their cornerbacks healthy in training camp and the preseason. Thankfully, the team signed Charvarius Ward in free agency, but rookie Justin Walley was off to a promising start in training camp before landing on injured reserve with a torn ACL.
Veterans Juju Brents and Jaylon Jones have been nursing hamstring injuries and missed a lot of camp, too. Maybe both will be fine by Week 1, but are they going to be good? It's a gamble.
But the Colts took an even bigger gamble on Monday by reportedly signing veteran cornerback Xavien Howard. The news was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, so there is legitimacy to the news. That's probably unfortunate.
Indianapolis Colts reportedly sign underwhelming cornerback Xavien Howard
Howard was once very good, but he injured his foot and missed all of 2024. Several teams showed interest in signing him, but he kept passing. No financial numbers were reported with Indy's signing of Howard, but let's hope the team didn't overpay for him. There is zero guarantee that Howard is going to help Indianapolis in 2025.
He has made the Pro Bowl four times and was named First-Team All-Pro in 2020. He had spent his entire career with the Miami Dolphins before signing with the Colts. But even before getting injured and missing last season, Howard was terrible in 2023. He is now 32 years old, so the assumption is that he is suddenly going to be better and stay healthy.
In 2023, he allowed 62.9 percent of his targets to be completed. He also missed 11.8 percent of his tackles, as he has never been a strong tackler. His career whiff percentage is 12.3.
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Even in the years he was being named to the Pro Bowl, it might simply have been because Howard was a popular player. His quarterback rating allowed in 2022, the last year he made the Pro Bowl, was 101.2. He allowed six touchdown passes in 2021.
The Indianapolis Colts also had better options in free agency than Xavien Howard. Stephon Gilmore, for instance, might be 34 years old, but he has consistently had better coverage numbers than Howard. He's also been healthier recently than Howard.
But no matter. Xavien Howard is now a member of the Colts and will probably expect to be a starter in Week 1. Whether he is still around in Week 8 is anyone's guess. He might have been demoted or released based on poor play or another injury.