Howard has knee scoped
DAVIE Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard has spent the past month rehabbing and getting treatment to avoid a surgical procedure on his left knee, but it finally got to the point he could not avoid going under the knife.
Howard had a scope done to his left knee to clean out scar tissue that had developed from a previous procedure. This is the third knee procedure Howard had done to one of his knees since joining the franchise in 2016 as a second-round pick from Baylor.
Howard, a 2018 Pro Bowl player the Dolphins signed to a five-year, $75 million extension last offseason, was experiencing soreness in October and fought through it with rest. But the discomfort escalated during Miami’s 27-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, a game Howard dominated in the first half, pulling down his first and only interception of the season.
Howard was placed on injured reserve the next week, ending his season.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores wouldn’t comment on how long the rehab process would take, but Howard is walking without crutches already. As long as there isn’t a setback, he should be healthy enough to participate in the team’s offseason program.
“He just recently had surgery. He’s going through the recovery process. It’s way too early. A couple days in. We’ve got to get him in here and rehab. We’ll see how it goes,” Flores said. “He’s going to do everything possible to get himself back and ready to go as quickly as possible.”
The Dolphins have been ravaged by injuries to the secondary, losing Howard and Reshad Jones (ribs) and Bobby McCain (shoulder) to season-ending injuries in November.
Miami has used a steady diet of players claimed off the waiver wire or promoted up from practice squads to make it through the second half of the season.
Last week, the Dolphins started Nate Brooks, a cornerback claimed off the Patriots practice squad, the same week he joined the team.
Nik Needham, Jomal Wiltz, Linden Stephens, who was signed off the Titans practice squad, and Tae Hayes, who was claimed off the waiver wire last week, will likely finish the year as Miami’s cornerbacks, while Eric Rowe, Stephen Parker, Adrian Colbert and Montre Hartage handle the safety workload for the final two games.
Injury report: Receivers DeVante Parker (hip) and Albert Wilson (hip), and Needham (groin) were full participants in Thursday’s practice after being limited on Wednesday.
Outside linebacker Vince Biegel was a full participant in Thursday’s practice despite being listed with an Achilles injury.
Receiver Allen Hurns (ankle/knee) and new defensive tackle defensive tackle Zach Sieler (ankle) were limited on Thursday for the second consecutive practice.
Dolphins rookie fullback Chandler Cox (shoulder) was also upgraded to being a full participant.
Five other players were full participants in practice on Wednesday and Thursday: Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (right shoulder), tight end Mike Gesicki (hip), center Daniel Kilgore (finger), running back Patrick Laird (knee) and defensive end Avery Moss (hip).
Kicker Jason sanders was limited in practice Thursday due to an illness.
1972 team being honored again: The Dolphins will honor their 1972 perfect season team as part of “NFL 100 Greatest” in a special halftime ceremony against the Bengals on Sunday.
That team, which went undefeated in the process of winning the Super Bowl, was named the greatest team in the 100-year history of the NFL on Nov. 15. Each player on the 1972 teams will receive a personalized golden football during the halftime celebration. 4 Flat Awesome Jenny (J.Leparoux) 2 Sky Chaser (C.Torres) 6 Crumb Bun (L.Panici) Off 3:06. Time 1:11.27. Fast.
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