Chicago Bears: 5 Miami Dolphins who could do damage in Week 6

Cornerback Xavien Howard

This is exactly the kind of cornerback the Bears need to take their defense to an even higher level. I love almost everything about Xavien Howard. He has this Dolphins secondary taking the ball away at an alarming rate, already with 10 interceptions as a unit. Howard has three of them.

Most thought after the way Howard played the second half of last season, he’d be poised for a breakout in 2018. In his sophomore year in 2017, Howard played in all 16 games, registering four interceptions, 13 passes defended, two stuffs, and a defensive score.

Through five weeks, Howard already has two scores.

What’s intriguing about Howard, aside from his threat to take the ball away and take it to the house, is his ability to help out in run defense. He has one of the higher run defense grades on the team, and that’s as a cornerback.

This will be something to watch when a guy like Tarik Cohen gets to the outside. Usually, it’s Cohen who wins in one-on-one matchups in respect to a broken or missed tackle. Howard excels more so when he helps out between the hash marks, as his tackling grade is actually pretty poor — 29.5 per Pro Football Focus. 

If the Bears get some room outside the hash marks on Howard’s side, they will likely be able to gain additional yardage after contact on the ground. That’s where he needs some improvement. But, in pass defense, he’s absolutely as lethal as anybody when it comes to taking the ball away.