Mike McDaniel shares what Xavien Howard means to the Dolphins

Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard is entering his seventh season in South Florida, and he’s had some great personal success, earning All-Pro honors once and Pro Bowl honors thrice.

However, while Howard is a great player and has been rewarded for that with a contract that’s among the largest of any cornerback in the league, it’s more than just his play that makes him important to this team.

On Saturday, new head coach Mike McDaniel explained the significance of having a guy like Howard wearing aqua and orange.

“I had never met ‘X’ (Xavien Howard) before I got this job,” McDaniel said. “We had played against him once or twice, but it didn’t take me long being here to understand what he means to the rest of the players. There’s something to be said about when you do something at an elite level, you get notoriety from it. And then you continue to do it, people don’t really do that justice where they don’t have the option to show up and (say), ‘Maybe I don’t feel like being good today.’ So I think he possesses that. I think one of the interesting things is I think he plays off Tyreek (Hill) as well. Two great competitors that are prideful, that know that every day, they can’t afford to be, ‘Oh, I’m just not on,’ because of the consequences and ramifications for the rest of the team and what we count on them to do on a day-in, day-out basis.”

It’s that ownership of his play and compete level that really takes him to the next level. He wants to be the guy who gets it started and sets the standard for the players behind him.

“I feel like it starts with me. I feel like I have to set the tone for the guys,” Howard said after Miami’s first joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. “The guys are getting better — I feel like everybody is getting better each week. I feel like we just have to keep striving. I have to take that leadership role in the cornerback room and set the tone.”

With guys like Howard as the veteran leader, the Dolphins’ younger defensive backs like Jevon Holland, Brandon Jones, Trill Williams and Noah Igbinoghene have someone to lean on and learn from.

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Notes from Day 2 of Dolphins-Buccaneers joint practices

Story originally appeared on Dolphins Wire