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Where Dolphins stars Howard, Waddle rank in NFL’s list of top players. Miami works out CB

NFL Network on Sunday night released the first half of its list of top 100 players in the league, and Dolphins stars Xavien Howard and Jaylen Waddle made appearances in the rankings.

In the list voted by fellow NFL players, Waddle was ranked No. 63, and Howard was ranked No. 56.

For Waddle, entering his second year in the NFL, it’s his debut on the list after a standout rookie season in which he broke Anquan Boldin’s rookie reception record with 104 catches. Waddle also led the Dolphins with 1,015 receiving yards and six touchdown catches.

It’s Howard’s third appearance on the top-100 list. He was ranked the 17th-best player in the NFL in 2021 after leading the NFL with 10 interceptions during the 2020 season. Howard also ranked No. 55 in the 2019 list. He led the Dolphins with five interceptions during the 2021 season.

NFL Network will reveal the remainder of the top-100 list over the next two weeks. Players 50 to 31 will be announced on Aug. 21 at 4:30 p.m. and No. 30 to 21 will be announced later at 11:30 p.m. No. 20 to 1 will be announced on Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who was acquired in a March trade, is expected to land on the list. Left tackle Terron Armstead, who was ranked No. 79 last year but missed eight games because of injury in 2021, could also make the list.

Dolphins working out cornerback

The Dolphins are working out cornerback Raleigh Texada, a league source confirmed to the Miami Herald, looking at outside options in the wake of Trill Williams’ likely season-ending ACL tear.

Texada, 5-10 and 191 pounds, was a six-player at Baylor, making 37 starts and registering three interceptions. As a sophomore, he was a 2018 All-Big 12 honorable mention selection. Texada, 24, signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent but was released before the start of training camp. Pro Football Network first reported the team was working out Texada.

The Dolphins have questions about cornerback depth with Williams’ significant injury and the absence of Byron Jones, who remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list. Williams had performed well in training camp and was making a strong push to be the team’s No. 4 corner. Noah Igbinoghene and Keion Crossen are the top internal candidates to assume the role.

“Right now we’re just evaluating a couple of guys,” head coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday, “and then as [general manager] Chris [Grier] and his department always does, for the cornerback position, we’ll be in discussion on how to handle some of these injuries and moving forward, what we need to continue to develop and not over-do the other existing corners on the roster.”