Heading into a key 2024 campaign, the Miami Dolphins have added a potential sleeper in free agency according to Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder.
“After spending the majority of his career in Washington, [cornerback] Kendall Fuller decided to head south in the offseason to replace Xavien Howard as the Dolphins starting cornerback opposite Jalen Ramsey,” Holder wrote, naming Fuller Miami’s “best-kept secret” in 2024.
“It’s kind of surprising that the 29-year-old doesn’t have many accolades on his resume as he’s logged 16 career interceptions and 75 pass breakups during his career,” the analyst went on. “Fuller is also coming off a season in which he earned an 83.1 PFF grade and has the versatility to cover on the boundary or in the slot.”
New Dolphins CB Kendall Fuller Has Been More Well-Rounded Than Xavien Howard in Recent Years
When you dive into the numbers and analytics, Fuller should end up being an upgrade on Howard this year despite their respective price tags and status.
The truth is that Howard’s play has been regressing for a while, and Fuller has remained consistent over that span — even if he’s never been considered a star. Using Pro Football Focus, it’s easy to see why the Dolphins made this cornerback swap in 2024.
Howard was decent in coverage last season. In fact, he actually held opposing quarterbacks to a lower passer rating (86.7) than Fuller did (101.9), and his reception percentage and yardage allowed were either on par or slightly better than the newcomer in most areas.
Howard was a total liability in other ways, however, and that’s where fans will grow to appreciate Fuller.
For example, Howard was flagged for seven penalties in 2023, while Fuller was only charged with two. The former was also horrid as a tackler with a 14.3% missed tackle rate on the year and just eight key defensive “stops.”
Fuller recorded a low missed tackle rate of 5.1% with 28 key defensive stops.
Keep in mind that Fuller was also often guarding the opposition’s best, which he won’t have to do in Miami across from Ramsey. That should assist his coverage numbers a bit while maintaining his well-rounded performance as a run defender and tackler. Areas Howard has struggled for much of his career.
Dolphins Gain Access to Xavien Howard Cap Space Soon
The other reason the Dolphins released Howard was his contract. In all honesty, that was the main reason, but his diminished performance didn’t help his case.
Miami designated their long-time CB and defensive team leader as a post-June 1 cut on March 13. The benefit was $18.5 million in cap savings, which the front office gains access to on June 2. That day is almost here.
“[The] Dolphins have almost no cap room so my guess is they will need to wait until June 2nd to make the [Jaylen Waddle] contract official,” Over the Cap founder Jason Fitzgerald commented on May 30. “They gain about $18.5M on that day when Xavien Howard’s post June 1 becomes official.”
It’s not just Waddle’s extension that Miami is waiting on. The franchise has also been involved in talks with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on a new deal, among others.
Of course, they could use the newfound cap space to fill roster holes as well.
The Dolphins still have potential needs at edge rusher, guard, defensive tackle and secondary depth. This $18.5 million could go a long way, and it will be interesting to see how general manager Chris Grier utilizes it ahead of a win-now campaign.
