Byron Maxwell

Seahawks To Audition CBs Byron Maxwell, Trovon Reed

November 11th, 2017 at 9:06am CST by Ben Levine

With Richard Sherman lost for the season, the Seahawks are now in the market for a new cornerback. Well, the team is apparently zeroing in on a pair of familiar faces, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports (via Twitter) that free agent defensive backs Byron Maxwell and Trovon Reed are expected to audition for the team.

Maxwell, a 2011 sixth-round pick, made a name for himself during his tenure in Seattle. After serving in a backup role during his first two seasons in the league, Maxwell took on more responsibility during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. After starting 12 games and compiling 39 tackles and a pair of interceptions during his final season in Seattle, Maxwell signed a lucrative six-year deal with the Eagles during the 2015 offseason. The veteran has struggled since, as he was traded to the Dolphins after only one season in Philly, and he was eventually released by Miami earlier this season. Since then, the 29-year-old has had a lone workout with the Falcons.

Reed has bounced around the league since going undrafted out of Auburn in 2015. The 26-year-old has had a pair of stints with the Seahawks organization, and he also spent time with the Rams, Dolphins, and Chargers. Reed played in six games (one start) for the Chargers in 2016, compiling 14 tackles, three passes defended, and two interceptions.

With Sherman out and DeShawn Shead sitting on the PUP, the Seahawks are currently rostering only four healthy cornerbacks in Shaquill Griffin, Justin Coleman, Neiko Thorpe, and Jeremy Lane.

Extra Points: Patriots, Maxwell, Peterson

November 6th, 2017 at 9:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Following months of speculation, the Patriots finally pulled the trigger on a Jimmy Garoppolo trade during last week’s deadline. Today, coach Bill Belichick provided some clarity on the transaction, noting that the team did not shop around the quarterback during this past offseason.

“There was no market to trade Jimmy in April, on our end,” Belichick said during an appearance on WEEI (via Doug Kyed of NESN.com). “I don’t really care what the offer was. I don’t even know what the offers were, or would have been. There was no interest on our end in making that deal. It didn’t really matter what the offer was, or would the offer would have been. I don’t really know what they were because we never entertained it.

“As I said, we had the best depth at that position probably of any team in the league, or at least we felt like we did. Maybe other teams felt different, I don’t know. We had great depth at that position. It was a tremendous situation to have two quarterbacks of the caliber we’ve had the past call it two and a half years from when Jimmy was ready. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t sustainable.”

There were whispers that the Browns had pursued Garoppolo during the offseason, but it sounds like the Patriots weren’t even willing to pick up the phone.

Let’s take a look at some other notes from around the NFL…

Brian Hoyer has a number of suitors after he was let go by the 49ers, but the quarterback told Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com that signing with the Patriots was a no-brainer. “I think for me, that was kind of the excitement of coming back home, and to be able to play behind Tom [Brady] and be in this organization,” Hoyer said. “And I was OK with. I think for me, having played a lot, you’re always ready to play, but it wasn’t going to work out for me to be a starter there in San Francisco the rest of this year, anyways, and probably not for next year. So I think for me, when I had an opportunity to come here and be the backup to Tom and in this organization, it was kind of a no-brainer.”
After working out with the Falcons, cornerback Byron Maxwell will not be signing a contract this evening, reports ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. Of course, the writer also notes that the defensive back hasn’t been ruled out, so a transaction could still be a possibility.
Even after he missed three field goal attempts on Sunday against Washington, the Seahawks say they will not move on from kicker Blair Walsh. “No, we will not,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters (via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com). “He’s 12-for-13 going into the game, guys. That was a hard day for whatever reason. We didn’t kick the ball off very well, either. It was just a hard day to kick the ball for us.” Walsh’s misses proved to be costly as Seattle lost by three points.
After a slow start to the season, Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson may actually reach some of his monetary incentives. As former agent Joel Corry notes on Twitter, the veteran’s contract calls for an extra $150K if he reaches 750 rushing yards. After compiling only 81 rushing yards in four games with the Saints, the veteran has collected 314 in three games with the Cardinals, meaning he only needs another 355 rushing yards in eight more games.
The number of agents certified by the NFL Players Association has risen 4%, from 795 to 830, Liz Mullen of SBJ writes. That figure includes 119 new agents who became certified this summer. Meanwhile, 84 agents either lost or dropped their certification. One can lose certification by not negotiating an NFL deal within a three-year period, missing the yearly union seminar, or not paying dues.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Falcons Work Out CB Byron Maxwell

November 6th, 2017 at 4:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Byron Maxwell worked out for the Falcons on Monday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This marks the cornerback’s first known workout since being released by the Dolphins.

Maxwell has some ties to the staff in Atlanta thanks to his time spent with head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel in Seattle. Maxwell was a disappointment with the Eagles and Dolphins, but he played some quality football with the Seahawks.

If signed, Maxwell would offer some veteran support behind corners Desmond Trufant, Robert Alford, and Brian Poole. Atlanta is currently 10th in passing yards allowed per game with 207.2.

Now 4-4 after Sunday’s loss to the Panthers, the Falcons will look to crack .500 with a win over the Cowboys on Sunday. Nothing is set in stone, but it seems likely that Ezekiel Elliott will be in uniform for Dallas.

Dolphins Release CB Byron Maxwell

October 24th, 2017 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have released cornerback Byron Maxwell, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. To take his place, the team has signed quarterback David Fales.

Maxwell has been demoted from the roster at various points this season. It appears that the cornerback is in decline, but coaches say that he is also refusing to play the defenses called from the sidelines. In cases where the Dolphins have called for press-man coverage, Maxwell has gone rogue and played far off of receivers. Although coaches were direct with Maxwell about the reasons behind his benching, he did not take accountability for it when talking to the media.

“ …In no way, shape, did I think my play [warranted] that,” Maxwell said earlier this month. “It’s a coach’s decision. Sometimes you have to deal with it. I’m a team player. Suck it up. Obviously, you think you’re the best man to do the job. You can’t control it. Everyone is trying to support your family trying to do the job.”

By releasing him now, the Fins are still on the hook for a significant portion of his $8.5MM cap number in 2017. However, they have freed themselves of his contract well before his $10MM cap number would have hit in 2018. They’ve also taken a potentially toxic player out of the locker room.

The Dolphins acquired Maxwell from the Eagles in the summer of 2016, just two days after they cut Brent Grimes. They were hoping that the cornerback could bounce back from a down year in 2015, but he was never able to get things going in Miami. On the plus side, linebacker Kiko Alonso remains a fixture on defense, so the Dolphins didn’t totally lose out when they moved down from the No. 8 pick to No. 13 that year.

Latest On Dolphins’ Byron Maxwell

October 5th, 2017 at 12:55pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are not pleased with high-priced cornerback Byron Maxwell. Last week, the Dolphins deactivated him prior to their London game against the Saints. The assumption in the football world was that Maxwell was taken out of the lineup for substandard play. That is true, but the problem goes deeper than that. In addition to his struggles, Maxwell has refused to play the defenses called by coaches, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald hears.

After being bumped from the active roster, Maxwell aired his frustrations to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson without giving a full account of the reasons behind his benching. That incensed the coaching staff even more, Salguero hears, and one has to wonder whether the Dolphins could get frustrated enough to release Maxwell outright and eat the money still owed to him.

“ …In no way, shape, did I think my play [warranted] that,” Maxwell said recently. “It’s a coach’s decision. Sometimes you have to deal with it. I’m a team player. Suck it up. Obviously, you think you’re the best man to do the job. You can’t control it. Everyone is trying to support your family trying to do the job.”

Two weeks ago, Dolphins coaches called for Maxwell to play press-man for much of the game against the Jets. Instead, he played far off of the Jets’ receivers as Gang Green rolled to a 20-6 victory. Now, the 29-year-old has ceded his starting job to rookie Cordrea Tankersley. He’s also been leapfrogged on the depth chart by Alterraun Verner, even though coaches feel that Maxwell is the superior talent.

The Dolphins would probably like to cut ties with Maxwell at this point, but his contract makes that hard to do. Releasing him today would leave them on the hook for a significant portion of his $8.5MM cap number. The good news, however, is that Miami can cut him after the season instead of carrying his $10MM cap number in 2018.

Dolphins Demote Byron Maxwell

October 1st, 2017 at 8:54am CST by Rory Parks

One year ago, almost to the day, the Dolphins demoted starting cornerback Byron Maxwell. Today, after starting Miami’s first two games of the 2017 regular season, Maxwell has again been relegated to the bench, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. In fact, Maxwell has been deactivated for the team’s London matchup against New Orleans, though that’s because he tweaked his hamstring in warmups. Schefter says that Maxwell would have been active today but for the hamstring issue (Twitter links).

Maxwell has disappointed since leaving Seattle as a free agent after the 2014 season and signing a six-year, $63MM contract with Philadelphia. After the 6-foot-1, 203-pounder didn’t live up to his deal with the Eagles in 2015, they elected last offseason to send him, linebacker Kiko Alonso, and the 13th pick in the 2016 draft to Miami for the eighth overall selection in that draft.

Despite his 2016 demotion, Maxwell did end up starting 13 games for the Fins last year, and he posted a pair of interceptions for the third consecutive season. In fact, he played pretty well after his demotion, so perhaps the Dolphins are hoping for the same sort of spark this year. Maxwell currently grades out as Pro Football Focus’ 13th-worst corner out of 109 eligible players.

Rookie Cordrea Tankersley will get the start in Maxwell’s place. Tankersley, whom the Dolphins selected in the third round of this year’s draft, was inactive for the club’s first two games this season, but Miami is hoping he can become a fixture in its defensive backfield sooner rather than later. The Dolphins can release Maxwell after the season without absorbing any dead money, and they almost certainly will not bring him back on his current deal.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Bills, Hackenberg

August 28th, 2017 at 7:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins told Jarvis Landry’s representation that there is no truth whatsoever to reports of the team being willing to “seriously listen” to trade offers for him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears. And, on Monday, coach Adam Gase told reporters that Landry isn’t going anywhere.

“I did talk to him and told him there’s no chance that he’s going to be traded,” Gase said (via James Walker of ESPN.com). “And if something that’s not true comes out like that, then I’m going to deal with it. I’m going to approach the player. … I just let him know that there’s no chance I’m going to trade you.”

Landry is in the final year of a contract that will pay him roughly $894K. The team has yet to offer him a multiyear extension, fueling speculation that might not be long for Miami. The Dolphins re-signed Kenny Stills this offseason at $8MM per year but have DeVante Parker on a rookie deal for as many as three more seasons.

Here’s more out of Miami as well as the latest from some of the Dolphins’ top rivals facilities.

Byron Maxwell is not locked into Miami’s starting lineup. The well-paid cornerback is competing with Alterraun Verner for a job opposite Xavien Howard, who is entrenched with the Fins’ first unit, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Maxwell has no guaranteed money remaining on his six-year deal after this season. He’s set to count $8.5MM against Miami’s cap this year, while Verner is attached to the veteran minimum. A timeshare scenario is in play for the Dolphins, Salguero writes, or a possible benching if Maxwell cannot re-establish consistency.
Previous comments from Bills GM Brandon Beane indicated Reggie Ragland‘s standing on the updated Buffalo depth chart wasn’t to be taken as gospel, but it now appears the former Alabama stalwart was not a fit for Sean McDermott‘s 4-3 scheme, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. After trading Ragland to the Chiefs, the Bills are placing their trust in Preston Brown to play the Luke Kuechly role in McDermott’s defense. The 2014 third-round pick has started all but two games during his Bills tenure and hasn’t missed a game. Entering his contract year, Brown has plenty riding on 2017. But it looks like McDermott believed Brown, who began his career as 4-3 middle linebacker before working in Rex Ryan‘s 3-4 for two years, could fill that job better than Ragland.
Despite his second-round draft status, Christian Hackenberg finished third in the race to become the Jets‘ starting quarterback job, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. The developmental player will remain as such for now, with Josh McCown having won the job. But Cimini writes Hackenberg figures to be given playing time this season in order for the Jets to evaluate him in advance of a 2018 draft expected to be flush with quarterback talent.
Arrested on a firearms charge in July, Bills defensive tackle Adolphus Washington was found not guilty of possessing a concealed weapon, an Ohio judge ruled Monday (via WIVB.com). A second-year player, Washington was arrested for allegedly pulling out a firearm at a water park July 9 in Sharonville, Ohio. The 2016 third-round pick started 11 games for Buffalo last season.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Dolphins Looked At Mychal Kendricks Before Kiko Alonso Trade

August 20th, 2017 at 8:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Dolphins and Eagles discussed the seminal trade that ended up giving Miami Kiko Alonso and Byron Maxwell and the Eagles the No. 8 pick in the 2016 draft, Philadelphia brass gave the south Florida franchise a list of players they were willing to offer.

Mychal Kendricks appeared on the list, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports. The Dolphins preferred Alonso to Kendricks and ended up making sure the former Bills standout only played one season with the Eagles. While the Dolphins signed Alonso to an extension, Kendricks hovered on the 2017 trade block.

Salguero reports the Dolphins studied Kendricks, who was a full-time player for the Chip Kelly-era Eagles before being relegated to a part-timer under new DC Jim Schwartz. Kendricks said in July he requested a trade out of Philly, but his 2017 salary became guaranteed earlier this year.

Dolphins executive VP Mike Tannenbaum also received reassurance on Maxwell, who did not show much with the Eagles, from Dan Quinn — Maxwell’s DC for part of his years in Seattle. The rangy corner became the player the Dolphins prioritized in this deal — one that helped the Eagles move from No. 13 to No. 8, putting them in better position to make the Carson Wentz trade with the Browns — but the team wanted more, per Salguero, prompting Miami to scan Philadelphia’s linebacker depth chart.

The Dolphins preferred Alonso to Kendricks because of his appeal as a three-down linebacker, Salguero notes. Kendricks is signed through the 2019 season but sits behind Jordan Hicks and Nigel Bradham in Philly’s linebacker hierarchy; Hicks and Bradham function as the Eagles’ nickel ‘backers.

Kendricks is attached to cap numbers of $6.6MM (2017), $7.6MM (’18) and $8.6MM (’19). Alonso’s extension ended up being for nearly the exact same amount as the Eagles signed Kendricks to more than 18 months earlier. The Miami outside ‘backer signed a four-year, $28.9MM re-up more than a year after Kendricks signed for four years and $29MM.

Extra Points: Maxwell, Browns, Eagles, Canada

November 26th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Byron Maxwell does not hold any ill will toward Chip Kelly despite his shaky 2015 season in Philadelphia. Instead, the Dolphins‘ top cornerback observed a dysfunctional defense, one that ranked 30th last season.

“We weren’t communicating on defense. Our defense just wasn’t good,” Maxwell said, via James Walker of ESPN.com. “Our red zone defense sucked. We just wasn’t good. We just didn’t have the chemistry and the fight for each other that I’m on now [with Miami].”

Thanks to Kelly’s “life-changing” investment in Maxwell during the coach’s one year of NFL personnel control, the sixth-year corner is in Year 2 of a six-year, $63MM deal as his former coach’s team comes to Miami. Maxwell does not doubt Kelly’s football acumen like some of the jettisoned Eagles have, but Kelly’s obviously ventured back into embattled territory thanks to the 49ers’ nine-game losing streak.

“Chip is a good dude. He was a good man,” Maxwell said. “He’s a very smart guy. … He believed in me, that I could be the guy. It didn’t work out, but it taught me a lot.”

Here’s more from around the league during November’s final week of games.

Instead of using their projected $64MM in 2017 cap space to make outside hires for quick-fix purposes, the Browns should focus that money on retaining Jamie Collins and Terrelle Pryor, whom Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes would be top-10 picks in this coming draft. Future expiring-contract players Joel Bitonio and Christian Kirksey should be re-signed as well before they hit the walk-year point so many recent Browns have, Pluto notes, with the recent glut of defectors helping put the franchise in the position in which it currently resides.
The Chiefs will be without nickel corner Steven Nelson against the Broncos with a neck injury, the team announced. After being deemed not ready as a rookie, the former third-round pick has become one of his team’s top three corners this season. Marcus Peters missed last week’s game and is questionable for Sunday night. Each of Kansas City’s corners is a rookie-contract player on a veteran defense, with rookie D.J. White and seldom-used trade acquisition Kenneth Acker next in line to join Peters and Phillip Gaines in sub-packages in Week 12. Dee Ford and Jeremy Maclin are also out for the Chiefs.
Ryan Mathews won’t suit up for the Eagles on Monday night, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports. Mathews left last weekend’s Eagles-Seahawks game due to what turned out to be an MCL sprain. This will give the running back at least one missed game in six of his seven NFL seasons. Philadelphia’s starter missed three games last season and 10 in 2014. Darren Sproles will play, however, for an Eagles team trying to stay in wild-card contention.
Canadian tight end prospect Antony Auclair could be a rare Canadian college-to-NFL performer, with six NFL teams scouting his most recent game with Universite’ Laval, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com reports. The 6-foot-6 player has just 17 receptions this season, however. CFL wideouts Bryan Burnham and DaVaris Daniels — who played collegiately at Tulsa and Notre Dame, respectively — could also be 2017 targets for NFL teams. Burnham, 26, has 1,392 yards in 18 games for the British Columbia Lions.

Major Roster Changes Looming For Dolphins?

October 14th, 2016 at 7:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

At 1-4 with a minus-31 point differential, the Dolphins have been among the NFL’s worst teams this season. There are clearly weaknesses throughout the Dolphins’ roster, and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that the team has plenty of players it no longer wants. As a result, executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, general manager Chris Grier and head coach Adam Gase are likely to oversee a significant makeover during the offseason.

The Dolphins already began moving on from players who aren’t part of the solution earlier this week, cutting offensive linemen Dallas Thomas and Billy Turner on Tuesday. Turner is now with the Ravens, who claimed him on waivers, but Salguero reports that the Dolphins couldn’t find any takers when they shopped him and Thomas.

With Turner and Thomas gone, there are a slew of other Dolphins with iffy futures, according to Salguero. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill and offensive lineman Branden Albert are among those with nebulous statuses beyond this year, though Salguero doesn’t expect Miami to move on from either. Running back Arian Foster, tight end Jordan Cameron and tackle Jermon Bushrod are all impending free agents who are doubtful to return in 2017 (Cameron could retire). Receiver Kenny Stills‘ deal also expires at season’s end, and Salguero notes that he has a fan in Gase, but the Dolphins haven’t been willing to commit a multiyear deal to him yet. Unless that changes prior to free agency, Stills could head elsewhere for a raise.

Defensively, ends Mario Williams, Jason Jones and Andre Branch, linebackers Jelani Jenkins and Koa Misi, and cornerback Byron Maxwell might be in new uniforms next year. Williams and Maxwell, two high-profile offseason additions, look as though they’ll be one and done in Miami, per Salguero. The two have underwhelmed with the Dolphins, who would save $14MM (compared to $5MM in dead money) by releasing them prior to next season. The only other member of the group who’s signed past 2016 is Misi. However, Misi’s career could be in jeopardy, and releasing him would free up $4.2MM in spending room at the cost of just $578K in dead money next season – the final year of Misi’s contract.

Given that the Dolphins’ season isn’t even halfway over, at least some of these individuals could play their way out of the doghouse over the next 11 games. The Dolphins are currently on track for a sizable house cleaning, though, and with the 4-1 Steelers and 3-2 Bills next on their schedule, they could enter their Week 8 bye at 1-6.

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