2024 NFL free agency: CB Xavien Howard ‘would love’ to play for hometown Texans

Veteran cornerback Xavien Howard is a born-and-bred Texan. He’s also a free agent and would fit a very huge need for the Houston Texans at outside cornerback alongside Derek Stingley.

While there were reports earlier this spring that Howard and the Texans were mutually interested in a deal, nothing has materialized through the first wave of free agency. But Howard still sounds like someone who wants to return to Texas and play for his hometown Texans. He grew up in Houston and played college ball about three hours north in Waco at Baylor.

Howard told Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller of “The OGs” podcast that he “would love” to play for the Texans in 2024 when asked if they were an option for him.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve always been a Houston Texans fan, but this offseason, I’m very [much a] Houston Texans fan,” Howard said. “That’s definitely a realistic option for me. … They got a helluva quarterback over there. They got little Tank [Dell] over there, too.”

Howard added that he likes defensive coaches — like when he played for Brian Flores with the Miami Dolphins — and would enjoy playing for DeMeco Ryans.

Howard, 30, would fit a very obvious need at outside cornerback for the Texans. While his production has declined over the past three years, Howard had five interceptions in 2021 and a league-high 10 interceptions in 2020. For his career Howard has 29 interceptions, 95 defended passes and 331 combines tackles in eight seasons.

The Texans currently don’t have a true starting-caliber cornerback besides Stingley Jr. Houston added cornerback Jeff Okudah and re-signed Desmond King, but neither offer the reliability in coverage that Howard would provide in the secondary. There are other cornerbacks out there in free agency, though, and the Texans could look to pair Stingley with another young player in the 2024 draft.

But if general manager Nick Caserio wants to add another lockdown cornerback to the defense, Howard would be a tremendous fit. His 6-foot-1, 203-pound frame aligns with the rest of the unity and his veteran experience would go along way in the mentorship of the emerging Stingley.

Money would be the biggest issue. It’s unclear what type of contract Howard is looking for, but he was released by the Miami Dolphins two years after he signed a five-year, $90 million deal. Howard is a big-time player who wouldn’t come cheap unless he’s willing to offer the Texans a hometown discount.

The interest is there from Howard. Now, it’s a matter of if that’s reciprocated by Houston.