The Indianapolis Colts got an unexpected gift on Wednesday ahead of Week 5 as free agent acquisition Xavien Howard decided to retire. Howard was a gamble that didn't pay off for general manager Chris Ballard. What the team did next was a real question.
The answer to that came less than 24 hours after Howard announced he was hanging up his cleats. Indy signed cornerback Keenan Garber to the practice squad. You might ask yourself who that is, and you would be right to do so.
Garber hasn't played a down in the NFL, though he is still a rookie. He went undrafted out of Kansas State, signed with the Minnesota Vikings, but didn't make the active roster. Garber has simply been hoping another team would sign him since he was released.
Indianapolis Colts sign a cornerback after Xavien Howard retires
He is tall enough to play corner at 6 feet tall, but even in college, he was not a highly experienced cornerback. He started just 17 games after transitioning from wide receiver. He played in two preseason games for the Vikings this year, but only logged 13 snaps.
In his final year at Kansas State, he missed 20 percent of his tackle attempts, and his quarterback rating allowed was a bad 107.5. He was targeted 52 times and allowed 34 completions. He did have an interception, but he gave up three touchdown passes.
In other words, he was a barely serviceable cornerback in college, so expecting him to ever do anything well in the NFL is likely a stretch. He probably will never be elevated from the practice squad, and he is definitely no true replacement for Xavien Howard.
Someone needs to be, though, and that player should provide an upgrade over the retired veteran. Howard was awful in his final three games. He allowed 16 completions on 20 targets, including three touchdowns.
The most likely replacement for Howard is Mekhi Blackmon. Blackmon, though, was terrible in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams. He gave up three completions of four targets for a whopping 101 yards and a touchdown. His quarterback rating allowed was 156.3, the worst possible.
The player who takes Xavien Howard's place in 2025 is likely not yet known long-term. Nearly any player with positive experience would be an upgrade, but neither Keenan Garber nor Mekhi Blackmon fits that definition.