The Houston Texans could use a little more depth at cornerback if we're being honest. Desmond King and Myles Bryant are good additions, but not great. There's Jeff Okudah, a project signing if we've ever seen one, and of course the addition of rookie Kamari Lassiter, who is a relatively unknown commodity. We have no idea if these new additions will be good for the team, we have to find out.
So wanting a more proven veteran to pair with Derek Stingley isn't the worst idea, it's why we suggested the Texans sign Xavien Howard. The Houston native is a former All-Pro with the Miami Dolphins and had a lot of potential in pairing with someone like Stingley. He seemed like a viable option and one we were really intrigued by.
That was, until news came about him. Early June would see some pretty wild accusations come out about Howard. According to ESPN and other outlets, Howard sent a sexually explicit image to a teen boy, with ESPN further going on to say;
"...Howard sent a male teenager a sexually explicit photograph of the teen's mother because she refused to get an abortion, a new court filing alleges."
The report further claims that Howard engaged in various acts of revenge porn, which is a crime in every state in the US, save for Massachusetts and South Carolina. Massachusetts is in the process of rectifying that, however.
The accusations are bad, and while they remain only such for the moment, it's hard to get past them when talking about players to add to the team this season. There's no reason to put yourself in the center of a brewing controversy if you're the Texans.
Howard is now in the middle of a very ugly lawsuit, and one that would only pull focus from the Houston Texans 2024 season. This is a young team, and they don't need a massive distraction hanging over their heads.
Howard will have his day in court and depending on how that plays out will likely determine if he has a future career in the NFL. The Texans don't need to interject themselves in this situation by signing him.
