Throughout the offseason, the Green Bay Packers made noise on the free agent market by signing running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney. General manager Brian Gutekunst decided to sign some quality free agents that will make this football team better.
Jacobs was one of the best running backs on the market this offseason. McKinney might have been the best safety on the market this offseason. The Green Bay Packers also got better in the 2024 NFL Draft.
With that in mind, there are some quality free agents on the market. Teams are going through their OTAs and when July comes, it will be NFL training camp time.
The Green Bay Packers are Urged To Sign Two Time All-Pro Cornerback Xavien Howard
One of the positions that the Packers may not have addressed well this offseason is the cornerback position. They only drafted one cornerback in the 2024 NFL Draft in the seventh round. The selection was Kalen King from the Penn State Nittany Lions.
However, there is still time for the Green Bay Packers to improve the cornerback position on the roster before the start of the 2024 season. Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated thinks that the Packers need to sign two-time all-pro cornerback Xavien Howard.
Huber said about the Packers possibly signing Xavien Howard:
“A second-round pick in 2016, Howard was first-team All-Pro in 2020, when he led the NFL with 10 interceptions and 20 passes defensed. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 2020, 2021 (five interceptions, 16 passes defensed) and 2022 (one interception, 12 passes defensed).
The Dolphins released him in February after he had one interception and 12 passes defensed in 2023.
“Many Dolphins defenders weren’t pleased with how former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio used them last season,” noted SI’s Gilberto Manzano.
Howard will turn 31 on July 4. His completion percentages have gone from 45.5 percent in 2020 and 50.7 percent in 2021 to 59.7 percent in 2022 and 61.4 percent in 2023, according to Sports Info Solutions, though his 6.6 yards allowed per target was better than any of his Pro Bowl seasons.”
Xavien Howard has been with the Miami Dolphins since 2016 and was the 38th overall pick (second-round selection) in the 2016 NFL Draft. A season ago with Miami, he recorded 45 tackles, one interception, and 12 pass deflections.
If general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to sign Xavien Howard, there is no doubt that he would most likely start on the opposite side of Jaire Alexander. Eric Stokes is projected to start on the opposite side of Jaire Alexander at cornerback.
Stokes’s health can not be relied upon. Signing Xavien Howard would be a good move for the Green Bay Packers and it would also provide insurance in case Jaire Alexander deals with health issues again this season.
