MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Madden evaluates Jalen Ramsey as the NFL’s best cornerback but left his Miami Dolphins teammate Xavien Howard outside the top 15.
Their reaction to their respective ratings was exactly what you’d expect.
Ramsey, on his 97 overall rating: “Yeah, it’s about right.”
Howard, on his 84: “Damn. I got to talk to them. I need EA’s number.”
Miami Dolphins’ Xavien Howard on Doubters: ‘F— ‘Em’
Howard is a prideful player. And he knows he wasn’t at his best in 2022. He was surprised that he made the Pro Bowl last year after what probably was the worst season of his career.
Howard allowed 15.6 yards per completion and a passer rating of 101.2. And those game-changing plays that came to define his career?
Absent. Howard had the fewest interceptions (1) in any year in which he appeared in at least eight games.
Put it all together, and it’s fair to believe people are sleeping on Howard for the first time in a long time.
His response, when PFN pointed that out:
“F— ’em.. F— ’em.”
OK then.
Howard, who in 2022 signed a five-year, $90 million contract, is due for a regression to the mean — in the right way. He dealt with chronic groin injuries last year and probably should have taken some time off in the season. But he didn’t because of the Dolphins’ depth issues at the position.
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That shouldn’t be a problem now, particularly with Ramsey — who is widely seen as one of the top three corners in football — aboard.
“I think people get confused sometimes when guys show an individual goal for themselves or have individual hype for themselves,” he said. “But honestly, it’s like, ‘Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I want to be the very best?’ Me being the very best is also going to help the team be successful.”
In other Dolphins news, Connor Williams has ended his brief contract holdout and reported to the team for the first day of training camp.
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