Earlier today, reports surfaced that the most unsuspecting team have been deep in talks with the Eagles in regards to trading for the most unsuspecting player. According to Ian Rapoport, the Miami Dolphins are in talks with the Philadelphia Eagles to acquire cornerback Byron Maxwell. Maxwell signed a 6-year deal worth $63M with the Eagles last season..so why would this move make any sense?! Here are five reasons why Maxwell to the Dolphins isn’t completely absurd.
The money:
The immediate red light for the Dolphins here should be the monster contract Maxwell signed just under 12 months ago..but it isn’t as damaging as it appears on the surface, which is a blessing for the Eagles if they are indeed trying to move on from such a heavy weight.
Maxwell has $8.5M guaranteed in 2016 and a $10M salary the year after, but only $3M of it is guaranteed. The numbers stagnate in the final years of the deal but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a restructure if the deal were to go through. The Dolphins are already in a rocky ship with the future of Brent Grimes uncertain and if they are to cut him, it wouldn’t cost them a lot of excess to acquire Maxwell….who could well emerge as his long term replacement.
As soon as they acquire his replacement RT @OmarKelly: Miami #Dolphins expected to release Pro Bowl CB Brent Grimes https://t.co/fUeyqFOGs4
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2016
For the Eagles, they would save roughly $4.5M and in currently having the 23rd lowest amount of cap space remaining, that’s a lot of leverage for the Eagles to move in a new direction under Pederson, Schwartz and Reich.
https://twitter.com/NFLCapAnalytics/status/706886232698179586
One man’s trash is another man’s treasure:
Byron Maxwell struggled under Chip Kelly and Billy Davis, there’s no denying it. The Eagles Defense last season was hugely based on one-on-one coverage which saw Maxwell’s flaws heavily highlighted. In Seattle, their Defense was much closer to a Zone scheme which meant he didn’t have to keep up with Receivers as often and his aerial ability was utilised much more.
In Philadelphia he was allowing separation to number 2-3 receivers, failing to make tackles and constantly being beaten off the line of scrimmage. Once he dropped back into coverage he was much better and the fact that he was able to hold two of the NFC’s biggest wideout threats to minimal yardage was symbolic of his misuse in Philadelphia. Here’s how Maxwell performed in weeks 6 & 8.
Against: Odell Beckham: 2 targets, 2 rec, 17yds, 0 TD’s.
Dez Bryant: 2 targets, 1 rec, 12yds 0 TD’s.
This is only going to aid the Eagles negotiations. A schematic misfit doesn’t always mean he’s a bad player..is he worth $63M? Highly debatable..but the Dolphins need as much help in the Secondary as the Eagles if not more, especially considering their divisional opponents..and if they plan on using Maxwell in their “Three-Match” zonal hybrid Defense then there is no reason why he can’t flourish. He is far better suited to hanging back in coverage than he is playing man-to-man and the Dolphins current scheme that lacks depth is almost a dream fit for Maxwell.
Food for Schwartz:
When you look at how Secondaries traditionally function under Jim Schwartz, it’s clear to see that yet again, Maxwell could be a misfit. We already examined how Thurmond is not the prototypical Safety that Schwartz would like to have and the same goes for Maxwell at the Corner position.
Schwartz stereotypically wants his Corners to have speed. To be able to shut down receivers and beat them in a sprint down the seam if the Offense decides to take a shot down the field when they see a dangerous blitz coming..it’s not something Maxwell is built for.
Not only does Maxwell struggle to make the big tackles, but he was beaten off the line of scrimmage so frequently that it was almost a contributing factor into why Malcolm Jenkins was so effective. In Miami he wouldn’t need to worry about that due to a different scheme that leans more towards zone coverage.
The consequence:
Obviously this would need to benefit both teams and not only would Miami be signing a Corner who fits their scheme, but the contract isn’t as big and scary as it appears..especially if Grimes is eventually cut or finds a new home.
For the Eagles, they free up $4.5M in cap room as well as lifting a hugely limiting remainder of a $63M contract. It’s not yet known what the Eagles are seeking in terms of compensation, but a draft pick to help push the team in a new direction or even a deal involving more being traded from Philly in exchange for someone such as Wide Receiver Rishard Matthews.
Obviously, it’s hypothetical but the birds are set to be aggressively pursuing Free Agent Wide Receivers as it is and the Dolphins have an extremely promising young group of receivers..a number of whom would be a great replacement for Riley Cooper.
The more holes they Eagles fill now, be it through trades or Free Agency, the more chance there is of having freedom to spend their 13th overall draft pick on a player that embodies the vision and direction of the Eagles under Pederson..(EG a project QB or a Lineman).
The deal makes sense from numerous standpoints for both teams and it’s clear by this point that Roseman isn’t keen on retaining many “Chip Kelly guys” with a few obvious exceptions. Roseman may have been hot on Byron Maxwell, but that flame may have very quickly escalated beyond control and left the Eagles rebuilding the remains of what was a promising Secondary.
