From the outside, it appears the Indianapolis Colts have a cornerback concern, with veteran Xavien Howard getting picked on in recent weeks.
Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, however, defended Howard this week, noting that the entire defense needs to improve after getting torched by the Rams' passing attack on Sunday.
"The combination of all of it," Anarumo said on Tuesday, via the Indy Star. "You're playing against an elite passing game with two elite receivers and a quarterback, and at some point, rust or no rust, we've got to make sure we're out there and guarding the guys we're tasked to guard. We've all got to do a better job. Not just X, but me."
A four-time Pro Bowler, Howard, who didn't play in 2024, was solid in Week 1 versus his former Dolphins team. Since then, his play has unraveled. In the past three weeks, he's allowed 16 catches on 20 targets, including getting picked on by Matthew Stafford and Puka Nacua. He allowed seven catches on 10 targets for 112 yards and a TD in Sunday’s loss.
"Not to my ability," Howard said after the game.
By seemingly every metric, Howard has struggled to open the season. Through four weeks, his target EPA of 14.3 as the nearest defender ranks fifth-worst among all corners (min. 10 targets). Those below him are all young players. Howard is a 32-year-old veteran who appears to have lost a step or two.
"We'll evaluate everybody, every game," Anarumo said. "X is a player on the team, so he's certainly going to get evaluated. ... Not only X, but everybody will always be evaluated each week, based on performance. We'll always take a look at all those things and move forward accordingly."
Charvarius Ward has been excellent, generating a -0.4 target EPA. His play, coupled with Howard's struggles, is only going to lead to defenses continuing to pick on the elder stateman.
"It's not just one guy," Anarumo said. "If you put the microscope on one person, everybody can always finish, maybe, better here or there. I think he had some plays where he did finish well, and there's others where he can do better, for sure."
