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Anyone who watched the Philadelphia Eagles last year knew that the secondary was flat out horrible, and a major overhaul was going to happen. That was certainly the case, as both starting cornerbacks and one starting safety was shown the door and new players were brought in to improve the unit. Undoubtedly the highest-profile and most expensive addition the Eagles made was cornerback Byron Maxwell, fresh off his Super Bowl appearance with the Seattle Seahawks.
Almost everyone loved the signing when it was announced, but a small contingent of fans wondered if Maxwell was overpaid by virtue of the fact that he was the best free agent corner available. While it’s true he cost a pretty penny ($63 million over six years, $25 million guaranteed) to acquire, I loved the move and expect it to pay huge dividends in 2015.
Maxwell is extremely underrated. Since starting for the Seahawks at the tail end of the 2013 season, Maxwell came on and played extraordinarily well. With the Seahawks leaving Richard Sherman entirely on one side of the field, more often than people realize Maxwell was lined up against the opponent’s top receiver. And he still played fantastic ball, defending 13 passes and picking off 3 passes last year. Of course he benefited from having Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas behind him, but Maxwell definitely was solid in his own right.
That physicality and athleticism is what Eagles fans are going to love about Maxwell more than anything. He’s tough, gritty, and plays with an edge that will make the secondary that much nastier. Too often last season the Eagle secondary was torn apart and left looking soft. That won’t happen with Maxwell in town, especially if he rubs off on Eric Rowe and company. Maxwell will be what the team hoped Cary Williams would be, only Maxwell won’t get burnt nearly as much.
Not surprisingly, Maxwell is solidly locked in as the team’s top cornerback. As such, there’s not really going to be a lot of competition for him to worry about. If the team absolutely had to pick someone else though, I suppose it would be a player like Rowe or Nolan Carroll. Both are built in his mold and have the ability to be solid press corners as well, but Maxwell is easily better than both of them right now. He’s going to be the sitting atop the cornerback depth chart comfortably all season long.
Doug Green is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering the Philadelphia Eagles and the NFL. Follow him on Twitter @DGreenNFL.
