Earlier on Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport reported that Xavien Howard was expected to play for the Miami Dolphins in Week 7. However, just a few hours later, the Dolphins have made Howard inactive versus the Buffalo Bills.
#Dolphins CB Xavien Howard, questionable with a knee injury in their game against the #Bills, is expected to play today, source said.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 20, 2019
Inactives for #MIAvsBUF pic.twitter.com/zCS3rE2G4T
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) October 20, 2019
Howard has been nursing a knee injury since the team's Week 5 bye week. The Pro-Bowl corner missed last week's game against the Washington Redskins due to the knee injury and it appears as if it is serious enough to sideline him for a second consecutive week.
Even for a winless team, the loss of Howard could prove to be detrimental for them. The Dolphins' most talented cornerback led the NFL in interceptions in 2018 with seven of them. This season, he's had just 16 tackles and one pass deflection in his four starts for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins were already favored to lose this game by a decent margin. But with Howard joining the list of inactives, the margin of defeat could be widened on Sunday against the Bills.
It is known that Miami is amidst troubling times as they ‘rebuild' in 2019 under rookie head coach Brian Flores. Many have labeled their tactics and level of play this season as a form of them ‘tanking' to secure the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft.
Along with Howard, veteran safety Reshad Jones is also among the players who are inactive in Week 7. Jones has only played in three games this season and sustained a chest injury in Week 6. As a result, he will miss his third game in 2019.
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