Report: Bengals hosting former Dolphins star defender for visit on Monday

The Cincinnati Bengals are reportedly hosting longtime Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard for a visit on Monday. Howard could add some experience to the Bengals’ defensive unit for the final stretch of the team’s regular-season schedule.

Howard spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career playing for the Dolphins, and perhaps his best season with the team came in the 2020 campaign. Across 16 games played (all starts), he led the NFL in interceptions (10) and passes defended (20) to go along with 51 combined tackles, 40 solo tackles, 11 assisted tackles and one tackle for loss.

The 31-year-old ended up garnering serious consideration for the Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts on the less glamorous end of the floor. He finished with the third-most votes of any player for the hardware behind only Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Howard last played with Miami during the 2023 campaign, when he appeared in 13 of the team’s 17 regular-season contests. But he finished with just one interception in his swan song with the Dolphins and didn’t earn so much as a Pro Bowl nod. Miami then released the cornerback — who was its longest-tenured player at the time — in the 2023 offseason.

It’s unclear how much Howard can contribute to a defense at this stage of his NFL career, but his acquisition would be a low-risk, high-reward move for a Bengals defense that has a lot of room for improvement. Cincinnati is allowing a whopping 26.2 points per game so far this season, which ranks as the seventh-most of any team in the league.

Plus, the Bengals gave up 35 points to the Baltimore Ravens in the team’s most recent contest back on Nov. 7, which dropped the squad’s record to a mediocre 4-6 on the season.

If Howard does indeed go on to agree to a contract with the Bengals, Dolphins fans should still root for him and wish him all the best with his new team after all he gave Miami during his many years as a Dolphin.