Following the opening of the 2022 offseason program in Miami earlier this week, a pair of veteran Dolphins met with the South Florida media on Wednesday afternoon.
Star cornerback Xavien Howard and sack-master defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah spoke about the new energy and excitement that’s palpable in Miami Gardens since the hiring of Mike McDaniel.
“I met him this offseason when he got here,” Howard said. “It was probably like the third day I met him. Like I said, the energy was there. I was excited to meet him, he was excited to meet me. Just to touch base, understand each other and what we expect from each other.”
Fresh off a renegotiated renegotiation of a previous extension (that’s no hyperbole), Howard’s contract leads many to believe that previous trade rumors can be gone forever.
“The whole process was a great process,” Howard told reporters. “I’m just excited to be a Dolphin and continue to play here and hopefully retire (here) and hopefully win the Super Bowl here too.”
Howard’s deal basically helped Miami’s 2022 cap number and gave Howard a $10 million raise. Overall, the Dolphins have the NFL’s highest-paid defensive backfield.
Xavien Howard’s #Dolphins Contract
– 5 yrs, $90M (2 yrs, $50.7M new)
– $36.3M guaranteed at sign
– 2 yrs, $36.5M practicalCap Hits
22: $8.2M
23: $24.3M
24: $23.1M
25: $20.1M
26: $21.6MIt’s $10M more for 2 years, then we’ll see.
Full Breakdown: https://t.co/c5gulC2UtN
— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 3, 2022
When you mix in Miami legends in former cornerbacks and current coaches, Sam Madison and Pat Surtain, Howard can actually improve if you could believe that.
“I love that. Especially a couple of guys that played in the league. They’re Miami greats.” He said when asked how he felt when the Dolphins greats were hired. “Just learning from them guys and picking from those guys’ brains, I feel like they can help me take my game to another level.”
Inevitably, the question had to be asked about the cheetah in the room, as Howard fielded a question about his newly acquired teammate, speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
“I think we’ll get each other better,” Howard said. “I played against him in college and also in the league. I just want to focus on getting each other better. That’s really it.”
Ogbah is another very happy Dolphin, as he’s fresh off a brand-new contract with $32 million of guaranteed money. The four-year, and 2022 salary cap friendly, deal is a major win-win for player and team.
Emmanuel Ogbah’s #Dolphins Extension
– 4 yrs, $65.4M
– $32M fully guaranteed
– $17.35M in 2022
– 3 yrs, $48.5M practicalCap Hits
2022: $7.6M
2023: $18.6M
2024: $19M
2025: $20.15MFull Breakdown: https://t.co/r5f1GFgx8a
— Spotrac (@spotrac) March 14, 2022
Despite rumors of market exploration immediately following the 2021 NFL season, Ogbah made it clear there was never really a conflict in his decision-making.
“Yeah. I’m very happy,” He told media members. “Like I’ve told you guys during the season for the past two years, I’ve always looked at myself being here long-term, and I’m glad we made it happen.”
Despite an offensive make-over on the coaching staff, several defensive coaches remained in Miami, including coordinator Josh Boyer and defensive line coach Austin Clark. Ogbah cited that continuity and his teammates as further reasons he chose to remain a Dolphins.
“I also wanted to be here for my brothers,” He said. “We started something special two years ago and I want to keep building on that. It definitely helped with the coaching staff still retaining the defensive side of the ball too.”
Ogbah spoke of his new head coach as well, saying, “I didn’t know a lot about him, but he’s definitely unique. A good players coach. He knows, he understands the game. He’s very smart, I will say that. He knows what he wants to do with the offense.”
When it comes to the energy that Howard referenced has been infused since the McDaniel hire, Ogbah concurred with his defensive teammate.
“I would say it’s more fun,” Ogbah stated. “Everybody is really excited, the whole locker room really, to build off of last season because we finished strong. We’re trying to start strong on a fast note too.”
Speaking of starting fast, in terms of impressions and personnel, the tide in Miami may be turning at a quicker pace than in other situations in the recent past. Speed has been added all over the place, and that’s exactly what’s needed in South Florida these days.
Speed in a football sense, as well as in time. While patience is a virtue, and good things come to those who wait, you might as well toss those cliches out with the Dolphins fanbase these days.
The wait’s over, and the time’s now for results, and they’ll want them quickly.