Brian Flores says Xavien Howard will not practice; positive on contract

The Miami Dolphins will not have Xavien Howard again today according to Brian Flores via a media conference call this morning prior to practice.

Xavien Howard has been dealing with a slight ankle issue and Brian Flores says that while it isn’t serious, they had a slight setback that will keep him out. Fans will point out that the slight setback is the fact that Howard still doesn’t have the money he wants and the injury is not real.

Flores addressed the contract situation as well saying that they are still talking with Howard and his agent and that it is day to day but that he thinks they are heading in the right direction.

The trade talk surrounding Howard has almost disappeared after the flurry of speculation that swept over the web last week when the Dolphins reported for camp and Howard officially asked to be traded.

So far the Dolphins have been holding still on what some are believing to be a high demand of compensation that could look similar to the Laremy Tunsil trade. The Dolphins are in no rush to trade Howard and Flores has clearly stated that he doesn’t want to trade him.

Howard said that he approached the team about moving $4 million from his 2024 contract to this year. That would make him the highest-paid player again on the team and the money would be pulled from a season that Howard likely wouldn’t see anyway.

The suggestion was great for Howard but the Dolphins didn’t see it that way. He is on year three of a five year deal. His ankle injury isn’t expected to be serious and it woudn’t surprise anyone if he returns immediately after getting his contract sorted out.