Miami Dolphins: 3 bold predictions for defensive backs in 2022

Miami Dolphins DB prediction #2: Howard is no longer the undisputed best player.

Xavien Howard has been considered the best and most important player on the Miami Dolphins roster over the last few years. He has proven to be one of the marquee cornerbacks in the league, having more interceptions than any other player in the NFL since he entered the league. His contract disputes in off-seasons past have been a mild distraction, but the overwhelming sentiment has always been “Make him happy. We need this guy.”

The Dolphins should enter the 2022 season with one of the most talented defensive backfields in the league, a unit that will be headlined as always by Howard.

Or will it?

Howard recently celebrated his 29th birthday, and while he still has plenty of juice left in the tank, there is the potential for a player who relies on speed and agility to lose a step or two around the age of 30. If he endures even a slight decline in his production and performance, he may no longer be considered as the undisputed best player of all of the DBs. And that may not be a knock on Howard as much as it is praise for Jevon Holland.

The second-year safety has the tools to become one of the premiere safeties in the game, and he could get there sooner rather than later. If Holland is able to continue his progression that he showed in his rookie season, then he may be the new king of the defensive backfield in Miami.