5 Things to know about new Colts' CB Xavien Howard

USA Today

4 hours ago

Here are five things to know about the newest Colts' cornerback Xavien Howard.
Navigating injuries at cornerback, the Indianapolis Colts signed former All-Pro Xavien Howard.
The addition of Howard will provide needed depth at cornerback, but he should find himself competing for playing time as well.
Let's begin getting to know the newest Colts' cornerback with five things to know about Howard.
Impressive ball production
Howard has showcased some flashy ball production throughout his career. After not logging an interception as a rookie in 2016, Howard recorded a whopping 29 interceptions from 2017 through 2023. This includes a league-high 10 interceptions in 2020.
Even when Howard hasn't come away with an interception, he's steadily gotten his hands on the ball. Over his eight NFL seasons, Howard has 95 pass deflections and led the league in that category in 2020 with 20 of them.
In six of Howard's eight seasons, he has logged at least 12 pass deflections and has three seasons with five-plus interceptions.
Xavien Howard is a former All-Pro
In that 2020 season, when Howard led the NFL in interceptions and pass deflections, he was a first-team All-Pro.
He was also a second-team All-Pro in 2018, when he recorded seven interceptions and 12 pass deflections. Howard is a four-time Pro Bowler as well.
"The one thing about him that always jumped off the tape ot me when he was at Baylor, the reason why he was drafted so high is he can go get the ball and he's proven that throughout his NFL career, that he's been an elite interceptor," Lou Anarumo said of Howard.
Howard played under Lou Anarumo previously
During Howard's first two seasons in the NFL, Anarumo was his defensive backs coach with the Miami Dolphins. So not only did Anarumo coach Howard, but he was in on Howard's evaluation during the 2016 pre-draft process.
As Anarumo described, Howard has played in a variety of different schemes, which should help him adjust to this new-look Colts' defense relatively quickly. While the calls and terminology will be different, there will be an overlap in responsibilities.
Xavien Howard's fit with the Colts
Howard didn't play in the NFL during the 2023 season, so there is going to be a ramp-up period required. But his experience and past production should put Howard firmly in the mix for playing time, given the injuries that the Colts are navigating at the cornerback position.
Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents have missed most of training camp with hamstring injuries. Kenny Moore has a knee injury, Johnathan Edwards left Saturday's game with a concussion, and Justin Walley is on IR due to an ACL injury.
The starting spot opposite of Charvarius Ward remains up for grabs, and based on who is currently available, Samuel Womack and Alex Johnson are the top candidates to fill that role. Now Howard will be in that mix.
Anarumo is not concerned about Howard's time off
Howard's last snaps came during the 2023 season. He did not play in the NFL in 2024. However, Anarumo isn't concerned about that.
Howard's an experienced player, Anarumo has seen him work out, and the ball skills that he possesses just don't disappear.
"Last year with the Bengals, we worked him out back in December," Anarumo said. "So you've seen him move a little bit and look good and I just feel good about the athlete that he is. And maybe you could look at it as his legs got a year off to rest. So one thing I know is his ball skills and those things, they don't go away with time, and he still has those."