Kiko Alonso

NFC Notes: Chancellor, Boyd, Alonso

September 21st, 2015 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we learned that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will likely be placed on the club’s injured reserve list with the designation to return this week. Here are a few more Monday morning items from around the NFC, including some more noteworthy injury updates:

With the Seahawks now winless in their first two games of the regular season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if there will be any movement on the Kam Chancellor front this week, while NFL.com’s Michael Silver spoke to several of Chancellor’s teammates about the star safety’s holdout.
The diagnosis for Packers defensive tackle Josh Boyd isn’t as bad as it first seemed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Boyd broke a small ankle bone, but isn’t expected to be sidelined for a long time.
Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso doesn’t believe he has an ACL injury, but he’ll have an MRI today to assess his left knee, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Alonso left yesterday’s game after aggravating the same knee he injured in 2014.
After winning a power play against former GM Howie Roseman in January, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly took control of the team’s roster and made several bold, risky moves in the offseason. As Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, that means that Kelly has to shoulder the blame for the Eagles’ slow start.

Injury Updates: 9/20/15

September 20th, 2015 at 4:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

The big news is the Tony Romo injury, which could have a devastating effect on the Cowboys’ season. We already looked at a major injury to Bills safety Aaron Williams – who appeared to be doing okay after being taken to a hospital, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter) – and a potential starting quarterback injury for Jay Cutler of the Bears. Here’s a roundup of other noteworthy injuries from Sunday’s action. Any additional injury updates from the afternoon games will be added to the top of the page throughout the day.

Eddie Lacy has been carted off the field for the Packers due to a right ankle injury, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN (via Twitter). His return is questionable (via Twitter). Davante Adams is also being carted to the locker room with a left ankle or foot injury, reports Jason Wilde (via Twitter).
Packers defensive tackle Josh Boyd also just went down on the field, and is being attended to by the coaches and medical staff, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today. He will also be carted off with a right leg injury (via Twitter).
Dolphins left tackle Branden Albert left the game against the Jaguars twice, not returning the second time, with a reported hamstring injury, according to James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter).
Rookie tailback Tevin Coleman couldn’t finish the game for the Falcons today due to a rib injury, and D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes a prolonged absence could doom the team’s rushing attack.

Earlier:

Ereck Flowers left the Giants-Falcons game with an ankle injury, and was not able to return, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Flowers has dealt with ankle injuries for a few weeks, and Jordan Raanan of NJ.com notes that head coach Tom Coughlin hopes those issues aren’t continuous (via Twitter).
Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso has been ruled out of the remainder of today’s game vs. the Cowboys due to a left knee injury, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. As McLane observes, that’s the same knee that suffered a torn ACL in 2014.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was getting X-rays taken after the loss to the Vikings, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Detroit Lions senior writer Tim Twentyman writes that Stafford confirmed the X-rays were taken of his chest and ribs (via Twitter).
Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy left the 26-19 win over the Saints with a right arm injury, reports Jenna Laine of Sports Talk 1040 The Team in Tampa (via Twitter). Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times adds that McCoy was not moving his right arm in the locker room (via Twitter).
Titans right guard Chance Warmack will have an MRI on his knee on Monday after injuring it today, but the initial diagnosis is a sprained MCL, according to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter links).

Extra Points: Eagles, Raiders, 49ers, Colts

August 9th, 2015 at 8:35pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis spoke Sunday on the statuses of two of the team’s injured linebackers, Kiko Alonso and DeMeco Ryans.

Regarding Alonso, who suffered a concussion Tuesday and has missed four practices: “Kiko’s fine,” said Davis, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’ve been coaching linebackers my whole career. It’s just part of that position, when it sneaks up on you nowadays, we have great protocol. It’s not an issue. Kiko’s doing great. He won’t miss a beat.”

Davis was more guarded when discussing Ryans, who is recovering from a ruptured right Achilles tendon for the second time in his nine-year career.

“DeMeco is a pro all the way through and is taking strides ahead of where most people would be, but he still has a little ways to go,” Davis said.

Ryans has participated in all seven of the Eagles’ training camp practices, but next Sunday’s preseason opener against the Colts will be a much bigger litmus test.

“Any time you’re coming back from injury, you have to get in the game to see where you are,” said Ryans, who got hurt last November. “Go to the ground, tackle somebody, stand up, make sure everything is still intact. And mentally, I think that’s the last hurdle, going out and getting back in a game.”

NFC Notes: Raji, Alonso, D. Washington

May 30th, 2015 at 3:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji missed all of last season with a torn bicep and then re-signed with the team on a one-year deal earlier this offseason, but Green Bay wasn’t his only suitor in free agency.

“I actually, ironically, had more interest this time around than last year,” said Raji, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. “I’m talking about as far as the contending teams. I had two, three playoff teams.”

One of those teams was the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, per Wilde, but Raji simply couldn’t bring himself to leave Green Bay.

“I just wasn’t comfortable leaving this place in the shape that it was in, the perception about the defense, the perception of myself,” Raji said. “If I was going to leave this place, I wanted to be able to say, ‘Yeah, those guys really get it.’ I didn’t want to leave with questions. As a person, having a lot invested in this program, if it is ever time to leave, I want to leave on a good note.”

Here’s the latest on a couple of the Packers’ fellow NFC teams:

Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso, whom the team acquired from Buffalo earlier this offseason, missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in July. There don’t seem to be any lingering effects from the injury, however, as the 24-year-old is ahead of schedule in his recovery, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I honestly didn’t think I’d be doing this much,” said Alonso, who participated in organized team activities this week without wearing a brace. “I’ve just been going on how I feel, and it’s feeling really good.”
Speaking of the Eagles’ defense, the team revamped its secondary in the offseason by signing Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, using a first-round pick on Eric Rowe, and parting ways with Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher, and Nate Allen. Despite all the noteworthy additions and subtractions, safety Malcolm Jenkins believes the most important move Philadelphia made with respect to its secondary was replacing previous defensive backs coach John Lovett with Cory Undlin, who coached Denver’s DBs from 2013-14. “Adding Cory Undlin is really probably the biggest addition we had when you talk about upgrading that (defensive backs) room,” said Jenkins, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. The Lovett-led Eagles finished 2014 second last in the NFL in pass defense and toward the bottom of the league in interceptions.
The league suspended Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington for four games in 2013 and all of 2014 because of multiple substance-abuse violations, and he’s expected to miss time this year because of domestic-violence issues. Despite all that baggage, Washington’s teammates still want him back, head coach Bruce Arians told Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com. “If he’s reinstated by the league, I know this – our players want him back in the locker room. That’s fine by me,” said Arians.

Chip Kelly On Mariota, McCoy, Bradford

March 11th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles coach Chip Kelly hosted a press conference this afternoon and we’ve gathered all the highlights right here. All links to go the Twitter feed of PhiladelphiaEagles.com, unless noted otherwise:

Kelly told reporters, including the staff of PhiladelphiaEagles.com (on Twitter), that he didn’t think that he needed to control the team’s personnel and said that it was a decision that the team’s owner had made. Of course, Kelly got control over the roster this offseason in a front office reshuffling that saw former GM Howie Roseman change roles. Kelly feels that the biggest difference in the draft this year will be having the final say over matters, something that he didn’t have over the last two years (link).
The Eagles coach dispelled the notion that the Eagles will try and trade up for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota (link). The Eagles have been heavily connected to Mariota for months now and speculation has only intensified as Kelly appears more driven than ever to fill the Eagles’ roster with Oregon alum. Kelly feels that Mariota is the best QB in the draft, but he’s unwilling to mortgage the future to land him and the team has too many other needs to address (link).
Kelly considered the trade of LeSean McCoy for linebacker Kiko Alonso to be important because it allowed the team to go after cornerback Byron Maxwell (link).
The coach claimed that the Bills leaked the news of the McCoy trade before he could call the running back to notify him, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets.
Kelly said it was “essential” to get Mark Sanchez back (link) and added that he never would have been able to acquire a quarterback of Sam Bradford‘s caliber had he not torn his ACL. The team has yet to have extension talks with Bradford (link). That’s not a big concern to Kelly, however, who said that everyone is essentially playing year-to-year and believes that Bradford has tremendous upside (link).
The Eagles coach/exec claims that the Eagles were offered a first-round pick for Bradford on Wednesday morning (link). However, Bradford wasn’t brought in to be a trade chip, Kelly said, according to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter).
There were other teams involved in the Bradford sweepstakes, Kelly says (link). Meanwhile, the Eagles only spoke with the Rams about Nick Foles.

Bills Acquire LeSean McCoy

March 10th, 2015 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

MARCH 10th, 4:00pm: The Eagles announced (on Twitter) that the deal is now official.

MARCH 3rd, 6:19pm: Spiller told the NFL Network (on Twitter) that the Bills called him and thanked him for his service with the team. Unsurprisingly, the pending free agent will not be asked back after the acquisition of McCoy. Spiller then went on to intimate that he’d be interested in joining the Eagles, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. “I’m going to a team that wants me to be there…. I’m pretty sure that Chip (Kelly) has my agent’s phone number”

6:15pm: There will be no draft picks or other players involved as it’s a one-for-one deal, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). He adds that Alonso wanted out of Buffalo. La Canfora (link) expects McCoy to make noise about wanting an extension and/or declining to report and the Bills are already bracing for that possibility.

For his part, Rosenhaus (on Twitter) hears from the Eagles that there is no trade at this time. “I just spoke with the Eagles organization and there is no trade for LeSean at this time. There have been discussions but nothing finalized,” Rosenhaus tweeted.

5:46pm: The Bills have notified linebacker Kiko Alonso that he will be traded to the Eagles for running back LeSean McCoy, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The trade will become official next week.

Although McCoy was not the electrifying playmaker in 2014 that he was in 2013, he still had a very productive season in terms of traditional stats, with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average. The advanced metrics, meanwhile, show a much sharper contrast between the two campaigns. In 2013, McCoy was rated as the very best tailback in football according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), racking up a 27.3 overall rating which was more than 8 points higher than the runner-up, Jamaal Charles. In 2014, however, McCoy was near the bottom of all qualified tailbacks with a fairly terrible -9.3 grade thanks in large part to his poor showing in the passing game.

Alonso, 25 in August, didn’t see the field in 2014 after tearing his ACL in July of 2014. After being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft, Alonso finished second in voting for Defensive Rookie of the Year after totaling 87 tackles, four interceptions, and two sacks. The 23-year-old was one of only three linebackers to play 100% of his team’s snaps and many thought he should have been the choice for DROY over Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. Alonso played middle linebacker in a 3-4 defense in 2013 but was slated to be moved to the weak side in the Bills’ 4-3 scheme in 2014. PFF (subscription required) rated Alonso as the ninth-best inside linebacker in the NFL in his rookie season. Because Alonso spent the year on the NFI (non-football injury) list, he’ll only be a restricted free agent after 2016.

The shocking deal figures to have major ramifications for both clubs. The Bills will probably move on from running back C.J. Spiller this offseason after acquiring one of the league’s top backs in McCoy. Also, without Alonso, the Bills will certainly be in the hunt for a starting linebacker. That’s a position that could theoretically be filled by Rex Ryan‘s old friend David Harris and the two have been connected for months now.

Alonso has two years left on his contract at $746K and $942K while McCoy also has two years left on his contract at $6.9MM and $7.6MM. In total, McCoy will count for $10.25MM against the Bills’ cap once the deal is official. Many assumed that the Eagles would push McCoy to restructure his contract, but as of Monday those discussions had yet to take place. The tailback is the only running back with an eight-digit cap hit in 2015.

The deal reunited Alonso with former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly in Philadelphia. Kelly shared his fondness for his former pupil last year, as Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. “I take extra pride in that I got the opportunity to coach Kiko. Extremely dedicated, driven person,” the coach said.

McCoy, for his part, didn’t hear from the Eagles about the trade and only learned of it from agent Drew Rosenhaus right around the time it broke, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Wallace, Williams, Alonso

March 5th, 2015 at 8:18am CST by Zachary Links

Mike Wallace’s father sees the wide receiver remaining with the Dolphins, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. “Right now, he’s been talking to them,” Burnell Wallace said. “He thinks he’s going to stay there. He doesn’t have a problem staying. [But] they really don’t know. I really can’t give you a definitive answer.” The Dolphins must pay Wallace a $3MM bonus if he is on the roster on March 14th. More from the AFC and NFC East..

Starting linebacker Jacquian Williams will become a free agent and he’s unlikely to return to the Giants, Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger writes. The 26-year-old started all nine games at weakside linebacker last season, before a concussion ended his season early. He graded out positively in six of the first seven games, but finished with an overall grade of -4.0 in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus.
Trading linebacker Kiko Alonso was one of the first things Rex Ryan wanted to do when he was hired by the Bills, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport speculates that Alonso wasn’t a good scheme fit for Ryan.
Running back has suddenly vaulted up the Eagles‘ list of needs and Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com looked at three possibilities they could pursue in the draft and free agency. In the draft, he identifies Todd Gurley (Georgia), T.J. Yeldon (Alabama), and Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska) as possible targets. In free agency, he lists Mark Ingram, C.J. Spiller, and Justin Forsett.
With the Eagles in the market for a running back and Reuben Frank and Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com also examine Forsett as a potential free agent target. Mosher makes the case that as a patient, methodical runner who reads blocks well, Forsett is an ideal fit for Chip Kelly‘s offense.
John Kryk of the Toronto Sun wonders if the Bills agreed to trade for Matt Cassel for him to be their starter at quarterback or if they got him merely to push E.J. Manuel. Cassel, who turns 33 in May, started just three games for the Vikings in 2014 before a broken foot landing him on the injured reserve list, ending his season.
John Keim of ESPN.com ran down Washington‘s potential needs on the defensive line and the players that they could look into this offseason. Of course, the list starts with Ndamukong Suh but the question is, how hard will they chase him? Washington has $25MM in cap space, but other teams have even more.
The Jets need help at guard and Brian Costello of the New York Post identifies Mike Iupati, Orlando Franklin, James Carpenter, and Clint Boling as free agent possibilities.

McCoy/Alonso Notes: Wednesday

March 4th, 2015 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

The Bills and Eagles shocked the NFL world on Tuesday evening, reportedly agreeing to a trade that will send LeSean McCoy to Buffalo in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso. Trades can’t officially be finalized until the new league year begins next Tuesday, but by all accounts, this deal will happen at that point. We rounded up a few initial reactions to the move last night, but there are several more updates to today to pass along. Here’s the latest:

After the swap is formally completed, the Bills are expected to rework McCoy’s contract, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). While that may reduce the running back’s cap number for 2015, don’t expect him to take a pay cut — Rapoport suggests that the goal will be to ensure that McCoy gets some guaranteed money beyond 2015.
The Eagles called at least one other team to gauge interest in McCoy before reaching an agreement with the Bills, a source tells Alex Marvez of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians confirmed today that he knew Shady was available, but said he “wasn’t a fit” in Arizona (Twitter link via Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com).
Alonso did not ask for a trade, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
A source familiar with C.J. Spiller‘s situation tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) that the news was “certainly surprising.” The source added that Spiller is still “processing the personal part,” but suggested it may be a blessing in disguise for the running back to get a fresh start elsewhere.
More on the pending deal: Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com breaks down the trade’s winners and losers, Peter King of TheMMQB.com shares his thoughts on the swap, and Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com writes that the move is the latest indication that the Eagles are completely Chip Kelly‘s team.

Reactions To LeSean McCoy Trade

March 3rd, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles coach Chip Kelly liked Kiko Alonso in the 2013 draft and had a chance to take him in the second round, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Kelly had a tough call on his hands but ultimately selected tight end Zach Ertz instead. It took a while, but Kelly got his man on Tuesday night when he shipped LeSean McCoy to the Bills for the linebacker. Here’s a look at the latest on the blockbuster deal…

LaDainian Tomlinson said on NFL Network that McCoy told him a few weeks ago that he didn’t think he’d be back with the Eagles, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
The deal came together in a matter of minutes from start to finish, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
The Bills pulled the trigger on the deal in part because they knew C.J. Spiller wasn’t coming back to them, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Bills called Spiller soon after news of the McCoy deal got out to thank him for his time in Buffalo.
David Moore of The Dallas Morning News wonders if the Eagles dealing McCoy reflects current thought around the league on running backs and, in turn, if it’s a bad sign for pending free agent DeMarco Murray.
A source close to McCoy told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that the running back’s camp was surprised to learn that he had been traded. “Honestly we were under the impression the whole time, that eventually at some point, Chip was going to ask LeSean to restructure his contract–not a pay cut, but convert some of his signing bonus,” the source said.
When asked if McCoy might make things difficult for the Bills, that person told Anderson (link): “It’ll be interesting to see how this process plays itself out because he’s an interesting individual. In your mind, when you think of Buffalo you think of cold and losing games. It’s not like it’s the Philadelphia market where you’re always on TV and you’re playing for the division title…It was unexpected. I’ll tell you that much.” The source added that McCoy, who has played the majority of his football at every level in the state Pennsylvania, is not happy to be going to Buffalo (link).
The Bills’ acquisition of McCoy will create ripples throughout the AFC East, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Free agent linebacker David Harris immediately comes out as a winner because the Bills will presumably target him to replace Alonso. Meanwhile, with the prospect of facing McCoy twice per season, the Jets need Harris more than ever which will only help his leverage.
McCoy chafed at some of Kelly’s new-age ways, including practicing on Saturdays before games, Jim Corbett of USA Today writes. Now, Corbett wonders if Kelly’s next bold move will be making a play for Marcus Mariota.

Latest AFC Moves: Bills, Raiders, Browns, Jags

August 26th, 2014 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

A handful of AFC clubs have announced roster moves this morning as they look to reduce their rosters to 75 players. Teams now have less than five hours until 2014’s first cutdown deadline arrives. Here’s the latest:

Linebacker Kiko Alonso has been moved to the Bills‘ reserve/non-football injury list, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Buffalo had already reduced its roster to 75 players, so the team actually has room to make an addition today, if it so chooses.
Although the Raiders hadn’t been expected to make an official decision on D.J. Hayden‘s status to open the season until the weekend, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the club has indeed decided to place the cornerback on the PUP list, meaning he’ll be sidelined for at least the first six weeks of the regular season.
The Browns have placed a pair of players – offensive lineman Michael Bowie and linebacker Darius Eubanks – on injured reserve, the team announced today (Twitter link). Both players underwent shoulder surgeries earlier in August. Cleveland will have to make one more roster move to cut down from 76 players to 75.
Jaguars cornerback Aaron Colvin has also landed on the reserve/non-football injury list, tweets John Oesher of Jaguars.com. The move puts Jacksonville’s roster at 75 active players.

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