Miami Dolphins Could Benefit Greatly From Acquiring Byron Maxwell And Kiko Alonso

The Miami Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles have been discussing a deal that would send cornerback Byron Maxwell to the Dolphins in exchange for draft compensation. According to the most recent rumors, the Eagles have reportedly added linebacker Kiko Alonso to the package, and it would be good news for Miami if the Dolphins can pull off the deal.

The Dolphins have seemingly been on the verge of playoff contention for years now, but last season was a major disappointment. The team was slow out of the gate and they ended up firing head coach Joe Philbin after an embarrassing loss. After that, the Dolphins played marginally better under interim coach Dan Campbell, but ultimately lacked the talent to make any noise.

Still, the team does have some solid pieces on both sides of the ball, and they are not too far away from being competitive. The team has some offensive firepower thanks to DeVante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Ryan Tannehill and Lamar Miller if he is retained.

However, their major weakness comes from the defense, where they have few quality players outside of their front four. Olivier Vernon is the best pass rusher on the team, but he is a free agent and the team slapped him with the transition tag, which means any team that wants to sign him would have to give the Dolphins a couple of picks. Ndamukong Suh was lauded as a big signing, but failed to play up to expectations in his first season. Reshad Jones is the best player in the back seven, and there really isn’t much aside from those three.

In Maxwell and Alonso, the team would be acquiring a couple of younger players with some upside. Maxwell can be at least a successful No. 2 corner in the league, and he may just have not fit well into Chip Kelly’s scheme in Philly. Alonso was one of the best linebackers in the league his rookie year, but he’s had trouble staying healthy since then. It also doesn’t help that he has learned two schemes in three years.

This change may not be as beneficial to him, but if he can stay healthy, his instincts should allow him to play well.

What the Dolphins are doing here is making an attempt to buy low. The team needs to start winning soon or they are going to go through another major rebuilding phase. At the moment, the only things the team is risking are some money and some draft capital. If one or both of the players pan out for the team, this trade will be a win for the Dolphins.