I'm a huge Xavien Howard fan--always have been since before we drafted him. I was the guy the first couple of years telling everyone to be patient because it takes a while for those type of physical CB's to adjust to the NFL. I explained he is a dominant physical guy who has tremendous ballhawking skills ... even before he displayed them at the NFL level. He developed into a dominant ballhawking CB. I also called the Byron Jones opportunity posibly spurring Xavien Howard to tremendous heights as it forces X to be targeted, and predicted it could lead to a career type year in terms of takeaways. He already has started proving that right too.
So, I'm totally happy with X, and would hate to lose him.
But ... every player has their price. He has already had some domestic issues which could threaten his playing time if it happens in the future. He has endured a lot of injuries, and as he gets older those will get worse not better. He makes a LOT of money, and we don't want an asset of that value on the trainer's table rehabbing. _IF_ we were going to sell him ... his value is high right now. We have our final monster-haul draft horde in 2021, and the 2020 and 2021 classes will form the backbone of success for Coach Flo if he does in fact have success. If we could get a 1st rounder for X, free up that cap space, and replace him with a young talented CB, it might actually make sense.
Not advocating for this one, but if it happens and we get a 1st rounder (without giving up a 2nd rounder or something dumb like that), then I can't be too upset about it. X is a great player, and those don't come around very often. Look at how missed Jalen Ramsey was to the team that lost him--despite his horrible attitude. We have nobody to replace X. We will likely NOT replace those takeaways, just like we haven't replaced Kiko Alonso's takeaways despite pouring huge assets into the position with draft picks (Raekwon McMillan, Jerome Baker, Andrew Van Ginkel), trades (Vince Beagel), and free agents (Kyle Van Noy, Elandon Roberts).
Takeaways are IMPORTANT.
Guys who just look at sacks or tackles lose the reality of the game. Teams that win the turnover battle usually win the game. Offenses that don't turn the ball over, help the team win. Defenses that take the ball away, help the team win. The guys who can produce takeaways season after season are VERY RARE. When you get one of those guys ... you need to keep them. If we lose X, that is the one skill in the entire defense we may never be able to replace. Teams will draft 10 ballhawks for every 1 they really get ... because that skill is so scarce. How many teams have tried to draft "The Next Ed Reed" ... probably 2 legitimate stars in the 1st round every year ... and none have duplicated it. One I really liked and suggested we draft, but we didn't, was Earl Thomas, and as great as he is (was), he never was Ed Reed.
Passrushers are worth their weight in gold. Guys who produce takeaways are worth their weight in precious gems.
