Xavien Howard Out Of Practice With Injury Amid Trade Request

This has been an eventful week for Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard, to say the least. It all started with him publicly demanding a trade just a few hours after he showed up to the start of training camp.

“I’ve given my heart and soul to the Miami Dolphins franchise since they drafted me in 2016, and I want to make it abundantly clear that I love my teammates” Howard said in a statement. “They are my family. But what I’ve learned is that the business side of the NFL proves organizations don’t always have a player’s best interest at heart.”

Despite requesting a trade out of Miami, the All-Pro cornerback showed up ready to practice. His time on the field was cut short on Thursday though due to an ankle injury.

Dolphins head coach Brian Flores hasn’t said much about Howard’s ankle injury, but apparently it’s significant enough to keep him off the field for Friday’s practice.

It’s possible this is just a tactic by Xavien Howard and the Dolphins to make sure that he doesn’t get seriously hurt in training camp. After all, a long-term injury would impact his trade value.

On the other hand, the Dolphins have stated multiple times they’re not interested in dealing Howard. If that’s the case, then they wouldn’t purposely keep Howard off the practice field.

Howard, who led the league with 10 interceptions last season, is hoping for a raise since he’s coming off the best year of his career.

The Dolphins could be heading for a standoff with Howard in the very near future.

[ProFootballTalk]

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