Dolphins release CB Howard, their longest-tenured player

The Miami Dolphins released cornerback Xavien Howard on Wednesday, parting with their longesttenured player.

Howard had 331 tackles and 95 passes deflected in eight seasons with the Dolphins, who selected him at No. 38 in the 2016 NFL draft.

Howard, 30, is a four-time Pro Bowler and was a first-team All-Pro in 2020, when he had a league-high 10 interceptions and 20 passes defensed. Only Denver’s Justin Simmons has more interceptions (30) than Howard’s 29 since 2016.

The Dolphins informed Howard late last month that he would be released at the start of the new league year, which began at 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday. General manager Chris Grier said it wasn’t an easy decision.

Grier said the team was open to bringing the veteran back, but Howard said on “The Joe Rose Show” on WQAM-AM that door is closed.

The Miami Dolphins signed former Buffalo Bills cornerback and Siran Neal on Wednesday.

Neal had 13 tackles in 17 appearances at cornerback for Buffalo last season. He has 62 career tackles, one sack, five passes deflected and three forced fumbles after entering the NFL as a fifth-round pick by Buffalo in 2018.

Source: Bills agree with Hollins

The Buffalo Bills began replenishing their receiver depth by agreeing to sign free agent Mack Hollins on Wednesday, a person with direct knowledge of discussions told The Associated Press.

Hollins has seven seasons of NFL experience, with his most productive year coming in 2021 when he had 57 catches for 690 yards and four touchdowns with the Raiders. Last season Hollins, 30, had 18 catches for 251 yards for the run-focused Falcons.

Raiders release Garoppolo, Renfrow

The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the start of the new league year by releasing quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and receiver Hunter Renfrow to give the new regime more room to operate under the salary cap.

The Raiders also released backup quarterback Brian Hoyer and defensive tackle Jerry Tillery on Wednesday, just minutes after the start of the 2024 league year.

These decisions had been widely expected, as the Raiders benched Garoppolo midway through last season after Antonio Pierce took over for fired coach Josh McDaniels.

Renfrow went from being one of the best additions under Jon Gruden’s regime to a little-used player the past two seasons under McDaniels and Pierce.