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Signs Pointing to Saints in Howard Drama?

The situation involving Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard remains unresolved and a trade is still one possible resolution

Alain Poupart

Nobody knows how the Xavien Howard saga will end up unfolding, but it's awfully tempting at this point to connect the dots and suggest a trade to the New Orleans Saints could be coming.

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The Miami Dolphins have not commented on the status of their All-Pro cornerback since Brian Flores acknowledged that his unexcused absence from the team's mandatory minicamp in June was related to his contract situation, and agent David Canter has not said one word publicly about his new client since he began representing Howard after the 2020 season.

With training camp set to begin next week, developments might be breaking soon and this is where everyone will start connecting the dots.

Such as this tweet this morning from Saints safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson:

For the record, that list reads Marshon Lattimore (Latt), Xavien Howard, Gardner-Johnson, P.J. Williams, Malcolm Jenkins and Marcus Williams. They're all Saints defensive backs except, of course, for Howard.

That tweet came a week after this one from Saints beat writer Jeff Duncan in response to a tweet by NFL Network reporter Michael Silver, both of them dealing with Howard:

Then there's the history between the Saints and Dolphins, who have consummated four trades in the past six years, including one just two years ago between current GMs Chris Grier and Jef Ireland.

That 2019 deal saw the Dolphins acquire Vince Biegel in a one-on-one linebacker swap for Kiko Alonso, a deal that has worked well for Miami.

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In 2015, the Dolphins got wide receiver Kenny Stills from the Saints for linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a third-round pick. In 2017, the Dolphins got linebacker Stephone Anthony from New Orleans for a fifth-round selection. Finally, during the 2019 draft the Dolphins picked up a future second-round pick for the Saints moving up 14 spots in the second round.

In the final analysis, everything above could end up meaning absolutely nothing. But it does lead one to wonder, doesn't it?

RELATED: Does the Idea of Trading for Howard Have Merit for Saints?

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL. Feel free to submit questions every Friday for the All Dolphins mailbag.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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