Should Jacksonville Jaguars make a bid for Dolphins CB Xavien Howard?

The Jacksonville Jaguars have done a good job of revamping their cornerback room this offseason. The unit is currently in good shape even though Chris Claybrooks and C.J. Henderson were placed on the Reserve /COVID-19 list. Having said that, Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has requested a trade. Should the Jags pursue him?

The Two-time Pro Bowl nod recently made public his request to be traded. He believes that he’s outperformed his contract and deserves to be paid like the top cornerback he is. It’s uncertain what the Phins plan to do. They could cave and give him that raise he wants or they could grant his wish to change teams. For the time being, head coach Brian Flores believes both parties can work something out and described Howard as a great player and a good teammate.

Howard wasn’t the player he currently is when he signed a five-year contract worth $75.25 million and the fact that teammate Byron Jones, who isn’t as talented as him, makes more money seems to be bothering him. You could argue that the All-Pro cornerback should just honor his current deal but he is in a position to ask for more money. Also, teams disregard contracts all the time, and players should use any leverage they have.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have enough cap space to trade for Xavien Howard.

At this point, trading for Howard seems excessive for the Jaguars. After all, they signed Shaquill Griffin in free agency and took Tyson Campbell in Round 2 of the draft. Furthermore, they brought back Sidney Jones and Tre Herndon.

On the other hand, none of the cornerbacks on the Jaguars’ roster is as talented as Howard, and if they really wanted to, they have the cap space to make a  trade happen. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap recently laid out a list of all the teams that have the cap to land the Baylor product.

This isn’t a report and Fitzgerald isn’t saying any of these clubs will pursue Howard. Rather, he’s pointing out that they have the cap in case they were interested in making a bid for the cornerback. Keep in mind that whoever traded for him would have to also compensate the Dolphins, and the price seems to be a first-round selection.

There are a few trade packages that the Jags could put together if they don’t want to part ways with a first-round selection. Howard would instantly give their cornerback unit a boost, so they should at least consider the possibility. Nevertheless, there are several roadblocks that could give Jacksonville pause.

If the Jaguars acquired Howard and gave him the deal he wants. They would be allocating a big chunk of cap space to the cornerback position. They gave Griffin a three-year deal worth $40 million earlier this year, and they could use that money to give players such as wide receiver DJ Chark the contract extension that he deserves.

It’s not often that an All-Pro cornerback is available, and the Jacksonville Jaguars have the means to make a trade happen. Should they pull the trigger? What do you think?