With Tunsil, Stills and Alonso gone, what’s next for Dolphins’ Xavien Howard?

The Dolphins’ front office spent the weekend taking a wrecking ball to the roster. The few familiar faces still here spent Monday picking up the pieces.

Gone: Almost the entire core of the Dolphins’ 2016 playoff team, including offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, receiver Kenny Stills and linebacker Kiko Alonso.

The biggest name left from that team: Cornerback Xavien Howard, who despite signing a five-year, $76.5 million contract extension in the spring, couldn’t say with great conviction that even he was safe.

“I ain’t worried about that,” Howard, who led the league in interceptions last year, said when asked if he was given any assurances that he would not be traded. “Control the things that you can control. That’s it. If it happens, it happens. If it don’t, I’m here.”

Dolphins coach Brian Flores wouldn’t say when asked Monday if the Dolphins were done trading veterans. But people close to Howard do not believe he’ll be traded, and the 2018 Pro Bowler told reporters Monday that “I want to finish [my career] here.”

And yet, the fact that there’s any question about his spot on this team speaks to how absolutely disorienting the events of the past week have been inside the Dolphins’ locker room.

The upheaval continued Monday, when the Dolphins cut their longest-tenured player (John Denney) and a promising young defensive lineman (Vincent Taylor).

In all, the Dolphins have added 12 players in the last four days after adding just 13 in the first month of free agency. Only 22 current Dolphins players were on Miami’s 2018 roster.

But anyone in the locker room looking for an explanation from their head coach left disappointed.

Flores, as he always does, informed his team about changes to the Dolphins’ roster Monday, but did not give any reason for the moves.

Were guys tempted to ask?

“I’m sure everybody is tempted to ask,” Dolphins linebacker Jerome Baker said. “But you don’t want to go ask him. You never know if you’re next.”

Also, why ask when you probably already know the answer?

Several players have privately expressed frustration about the team’s direction, with some acknowledging that they believe the Dolphins are not committed to winning in 2019.

Fans, many of whom pay thousands of dollars for season tickets, certainly believe that.

Flores’ message to those fans Monday?

“I’d say we’re going to come out, practice, prepare, work and do everything we can to win this game on Sunday against Baltimore,” Flores said. “That’s where my attention is. That’s where my effort, my energy — that’s where it’s going to be. It’s on Baltimore, and I think the more people who take that approach, the better off we’ll all be this weekend.”

Dolphins players, however, couldn’t move on to the regular season without being asked about those who are no longer here.

Dolphins defensive tackle Davon Godchaux said the news that Taylor had been waived “was shocking. My best friend on the team.”

But the biggest shock of all was the Tunsil trade — particularly since Flores had encouraged the fourth-year offensive lineman to take ownership of his position group in particular and the team generally.

“At first I was like, ‘There’s no way,’” said Dolphins center Daniel Kilgore. “At the same time, for me, I was like from personal experience anything can happen.”

Kilgore acknowledged the Tunsil news was a bit demoralizing.

Howard said “it hurt” to see so many good players gone.

And it will surely take some time to learn all the new names and faces, including the two newest: long snapper Taybor Pepper and defensive tackle John Jenkins, both signed Monday.

Jenkins has played six years in the NFL for the Saints, Seahawks, Bears and Giants with 121 career tackles and 1 1/2 sacks. Pepper appeared in four games for the Packers in 2017.

“The plan is to go out there Sunday and win games,” Baker said. “That’s what’s cool about Coach Flo. He came in very emotional in the sense of it don’t matter what happens, different moves, whatever, at the end of the day we’ve got to play the Ravens. No offense, if he’s listening to you guys and we go against the Ravens, Lamar [Jackson] is going to have a field day, so we got to focus on them. That’s ultimately what our focus is.”

This story was originally published September 2, 2019 at 3:21 PM.