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          NFL Defensive Player of the Year? Dolphins' Xavien Howard states case on field

          • Cameron Wolfe, ESPN Staff WriterDec 18, 2020, 11:00 AM
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            • Covered the Broncos for two seasons with the Denver Post
            • Graduate of the University of Houston
            • A native of Jackson, Miss.
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          DAVIE, Fla. -- Even Patrick Mahomes can't avoid Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard's sticky hands. Locked in man-to-man coverage in the slot on the NFL's most explosive wide receiver, Tyreek Hill, Howard erased Mahomes' plans of another Kansas City Chiefs touchdown in Week 14 as he leaped for a one-handed interception in the end zone.

          It marked the fifth consecutive game Howard's elite thievery has been on center display. For a defender who doesn't do much on-field talking, Howard's play is screaming loudly: throw my way at your own peril.

          "That catch he made was phenomenal," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "We have seen him do it before. If you underthrow it an inch, he can go up and do what he did. He's playing as well as any corner in the NFL right now."

          Dolphins linebacker Shaq Lawson added: "Best cornerback in the league, you know what I'm saying? Hands down. He gets one every week. I have never witnessed nothing like that. I've played with good cornerbacks, don't get me wrong. I played [with] a great cornerback last year (Buffalo Bills' Tre'Davious White), but to see a guy get a pick almost every week, it's incredible, man. I'm glad I'm witnessing being with the best corner in the league."

          Miami's incredible turnaround season, which continues Sunday against the New England Patriots (1 p.m. ET, CBS), is sure to garner consideration for individual honors, and one of them will be Howard's bid for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. With a league-leading nine interceptions through 13 games, Howard is deserving of the award. His teammates are actively campaigning for him, and his most recent interception against Mahomes most certainly stands out.

          "If I continue to play the way I've been playing, I feel like it will take care of itself," Howard said. "I feel like the sky is the limit for me if I keep on balling."

          The league's Defensive Player of the Year award has typically not been so kind to cornerbacks. Over the past 25 years, only two cornerbacks have won it -- Charles Woodson (2009) and New England's Stephon Gilmore (2019). Defensive end Jason Taylor was the last Dolphins player to win it in 2006.

          The argument against ball-hawking cornerbacks is that interceptions don't tell the full story of their play. While that is often true, the same can be said for pass-rushers and sacks. It all comes down to the value of coverage versus pass rush.

          And the best case study to assist Howard would be to look at the player who he'll be sharing a field with on Sunday. In 2019, Gilmore won the award and beat out pass-rushing contenders, including T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers), Chandler Jones (Arizona Cardinals) and Shaq Barrett (Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

          'You would think people would learn'

          The statistical story of Gilmore's 2019 season vs. Howard's 2020 campaign is that both are similarly strong seasons with a couple of differences: Howard has been more effective nabbing interceptions and getting his hands on the football when challenged, while Gilmore stood out for not allowing a touchdown throughout the season and taking away an eye-opening amount of expected points from his opponents. Both cornerbacks were among the best in the league at producing low QB ratings and completion percentages when passers were foolish enough to test them. If Gilmore's season was good enough to win, Howard's should be, too.

          Howard, 27, has long been among the NFL's best cornerbacks; since 2017, no player has more interceptions (21) or a better interception/per game rate (.46). Howard has missed 24 games because of knee injuries, including 11 in 2019. It's even more impressive he's having his best season following a rehab-filled offseason as he recovered from another knee surgery. He's on track to play 16 games for the second time in his five-year career.

          "I feel like I'm just getting better. I kept that attitude coming off of injury of just being hungry," Howard said. "I want to focus on improving each day and proving to myself that I know what I can do on the field when I'm healthy."

          Howard has more interceptions than nine different teams this season. And he has more interceptions through 13 games than any Dolphins player has had in a season in more than 50 years. He is one interception shy of tying Dick Westmoreland (10, 1967) for the franchise record. It has been eight years since any player had nine interceptions in one season (Tim Jennings, 2012) and it has been 13 years since anyone had double-digit interceptions (Antonio Cromartie, 10, 2007).

          "It's cool to look over to his side and see him get so many damn interceptions," Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones said. "It's really amazing how he's so attracted to the ball and he really makes every play that comes to his side. ... It's funny, you can't see my facial expression in the helmet, but I'm like, 'This freaking guy again.'"

          Dolphins defensive tackle Christian Wilkins added: "It just seems redundant at this point. You would think people would learn."

          Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who is a two-time winner of the award, and Watt entered the 2020 season as two of the favorites to win the award, according to Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill. They are the biggest challengers to Howard, who was off the board in preseason odds for Defensive Player of the Year. Watt and Donald are having strong seasons, too. They lead their positions in ESPN pass rush win rate, Watt leads the league in QB pressures (66) while Donald is second (58), and Donald leads the league in sacks (12.5) while Watt is second (12). Watt is also tied for the lead in forced fumbles (four).

          For most of this season, Howard shadowed other teams' best wide receiver and the Dolphins are one of the NFL's most man-heavy and blitz-heavy teams, meaning he's regularly on an island. Howard excels in man and zone coverage and regularly tackles in the run and screen game.

          He's also the best player on a Dolphins defense that has improved from the No. 32 scoring defense in 2019 to No. 2 in 2020. Miami (8-5) is in the thick of playoff contention, and Howard is a big reason why.

          "X is very, very talented. Yeah, he's one of the best corners I've been around and he's improving," said Dolphins coach Brian Flores, who is often judicious in delivering individual praise. "He's playing with a lot of confidence right now and we have a lot of confidence in him."

          Howard can't control what voters decide, but he says, "I'll just keep getting the ball for the offense and putting the ball in their hands and making plays."

          Maybe come February, Howard will have an NFL Defensive Player of the Year award in his hands, too.