Dolphins Place CB Xavien Howard on Injured Reserve

Howard will miss the remainder of the 2019 season

Moments after making a trade for injured DB Aqib Talib, the Dolphins have decided to shutdown their star cornerback for the remainder of the 2019 season.  

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Miami Dolphins have placed Xavien Howard on injured reserve, putting an end to his 2019 season 

Source: #Dolphins CB Xavien Howard is headed to Injured Reserve after sustaining a knee injury last night. It’s not an ACL or MCL, but the team will be cautious as he is part of their future. He also got locked up long-term prior to this.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 29, 2019

Howard, 25, led the NFL in interceptions in 2018.  However, a re-occurring knee injury has forced him to miss several games early on this season.  Miami agreed to a long-term deal with Howard earlier in the year agreeing to a 5-year, $76.5-million extension.  

The Dolphins felt it was in their best interest to protect their long-term investment, in a year that many people believe to be a lost cause.  This will also give Brian Flores and his coaching staff an opportunity to see how the rest of the secondary develops. 

We will update this story throughout the day.