In acquiring inside linebacker Kiko Alonso and cornerback Byron Maxwell (the deal is being finalized as we speak), the Dolphins obviously hope they will be getting the productive, ascending players who excelled for the Bills and Seahawks previously, not the ones who underperformed last year in Philadelphia.
Alonso, 25, was outstanding as a rookie for the Bills in 2013, finishing with 87 tackles, four picks and two sacks in 16 starts. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association.
But he tore the ACL in his left knee working out in Oregon the following offseason and missed the entire 2014 season.
The Bills then traded him to Philadelphia last March for running back LeSean McCoy. But in the Eagles’ Week 2 game, he suffered a partial tear to that same left ACL. He missed five weeks before returning for the final nine games of the season.
But he started only one of those nine games and had modest stats for the season (43 tackles, no sacks, one INT). The interception was an impressive one-handed grab against Atlanta in the season opener.
“I need to make more plays. It’s just frustrating, because I want to make more plays,” he told Eagles reporters at the end of the season.
Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said at the end of the season: “I think he'll make a big leap [in 2016]. I really do. I think having last year off with no football, this year starting with the injury and coming off and always thinking about it, [playing] in a new system — and there are no excuses here for Kiko. Everyone has got to play better and do better.”
As for the 28-year-old Maxwell, he did not justify the six-year, $63 million contract that the Eagles gave him the previous offseason. He had two picks and 10 passes defended in 14 games, all starts.
Maxwell, who seems better suited to a zone system than Philadelphia’s scheme, had seen his stock rise after two very good seasons in Seattle, including one featuring four interceptions in 16 games (five starts) in 2013, and two picks (13 games, 12 starts) in 2014. That led to the big contract in free agency.
Here’s how CSN-Philadelphia Eagles insider Andrew Kulp assessed Maxwell:
“It would be fair to characterize Maxwell’s season as up and down. It began at a low point with Jones’ big game – nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns – then the following week, Maxwell appeared to give less than full effort on a 42-yard Terrence Williams catch-and-run during the fourth quarter of a loss to the Cowboys.
“Maxwell would turn it around in the weeks that followed. According to Pro Football Focus, from Weeks 3 to 13, the fifth-year corner was targeted 45 times in coverage, allowing 28 completions for 365 yards – a meager 8.1 average per attempt – and zero touchdowns. That works out to 45 yards per game, minus Week 4 against Washington, when he exited early with an injury. Yards per catch were kept to a minimum as well at just 92 total, and he only surrendered one reception over 23 yards during that span.
“But Maxwell would go on to end the season poorly, giving up big plays in back-to-back games against Buffalo and Arizona before going out with an injury. That’s the last thing people remember, which coupled with an ugly first impression, has many people down on his play overall.
“Maxwell,” Kulp went on to write, “is not a shutdown cornerback, which is what might be expected for the cost. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good addition to the Eagles roster. At the very least, he was certainly an improvement over what they had. The reality is Maxwell is not a bad player, he’s merely overpaid… Essentially, it was a two-year gamble on Maxwell developing into an elite cornerback. He has the size, talent and pedigree. Based on his body of work in Seattle, you couldn’t blame anybody for thinking he might make that leap.”
Pro Football Focus rated Maxwell 75th among 111 corners last season. Brent Grimes, expected to be cut, was rated 41st.
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Alonso, 25, was outstanding as a rookie for the Bills in 2013, finishing with 87 tackles, four picks and two sacks in 16 starts. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association.
But he tore the ACL in his left knee working out in Oregon the following offseason and missed the entire 2014 season.
The Bills then traded him to Philadelphia last March for running back LeSean McCoy. But in the Eagles’ Week 2 game, he suffered a partial tear to that same left ACL. He missed five weeks before returning for the final nine games of the season.
But he started only one of those nine games and had modest stats for the season (43 tackles, no sacks, one INT). The interception was an impressive one-handed grab against Atlanta in the season opener.
“I need to make more plays. It’s just frustrating, because I want to make more plays,” he told Eagles reporters at the end of the season.
Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said at the end of the season: “I think he'll make a big leap [in 2016]. I really do. I think having last year off with no football, this year starting with the injury and coming off and always thinking about it, [playing] in a new system — and there are no excuses here for Kiko. Everyone has got to play better and do better.”
As for the 28-year-old Maxwell, he did not justify the six-year, $63 million contract that the Eagles gave him the previous offseason. He had two picks and 10 passes defended in 14 games, all starts.
Maxwell, who seems better suited to a zone system than Philadelphia’s scheme, had seen his stock rise after two very good seasons in Seattle, including one featuring four interceptions in 16 games (five starts) in 2013, and two picks (13 games, 12 starts) in 2014. That led to the big contract in free agency.
Here’s how CSN-Philadelphia Eagles insider Andrew Kulp assessed Maxwell:
“It would be fair to characterize Maxwell’s season as up and down. It began at a low point with Jones’ big game – nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns – then the following week, Maxwell appeared to give less than full effort on a 42-yard Terrence Williams catch-and-run during the fourth quarter of a loss to the Cowboys.
“Maxwell would turn it around in the weeks that followed. According to Pro Football Focus, from Weeks 3 to 13, the fifth-year corner was targeted 45 times in coverage, allowing 28 completions for 365 yards – a meager 8.1 average per attempt – and zero touchdowns. That works out to 45 yards per game, minus Week 4 against Washington, when he exited early with an injury. Yards per catch were kept to a minimum as well at just 92 total, and he only surrendered one reception over 23 yards during that span.
“But Maxwell would go on to end the season poorly, giving up big plays in back-to-back games against Buffalo and Arizona before going out with an injury. That’s the last thing people remember, which coupled with an ugly first impression, has many people down on his play overall.
“Maxwell,” Kulp went on to write, “is not a shutdown cornerback, which is what might be expected for the cost. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good addition to the Eagles roster. At the very least, he was certainly an improvement over what they had. The reality is Maxwell is not a bad player, he’s merely overpaid… Essentially, it was a two-year gamble on Maxwell developing into an elite cornerback. He has the size, talent and pedigree. Based on his body of work in Seattle, you couldn’t blame anybody for thinking he might make that leap.”
Pro Football Focus rated Maxwell 75th among 111 corners last season. Brent Grimes, expected to be cut, was rated 41st.
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