Byron Maxwell is officially a Dolphin, along with Kiko Alonso. After being temporarily declared dead on the operating table, the Dolphins and Eagles have finalized a deal to swap first-round picks.
Originally consummated on Tuesday, the two teams decided to exchange Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso for ... something.
It wasn't until the deal started to fall apart Wednesday morning -- because of a shoulder injury with Maxwell -- that we learned the two sides were also swapping first-round picks.
The Dolphins (No. 8 overall) were sending their pick to the Eagles (No. 13) overall in exchange for Maxwell and Alonso. There was a report the Eagles also got a fourth-round pick, but per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer it's not part of the package.
Let's look at what this means for each team and grade the trade (assuming it doesn't fall apart again).
The Dolphins get Maxwell, who has some shoulder concerns obviously, as a replacement for Brent Grimes, who is expected to be released once the new league year begins. Not a bad replacement when you factor in age (Grimes is much older), although contract and production (Maxwell wasn't as good last season) might mitigate that. Let's see how Maxwell's restructure works out -- he's currently slated to sport an $8.5 million cap hit for 2016.
Alonso is on his third team at this point and clearly wasn't back from injury after an impressive rookie year with the Bills. He's a high-upside gamble.
The pick is the questionable move here for Miami. Our latest mock drafts had the Dolphins landing either Vernon Hargreaves, Myles Jack, William Jackson or Ronnie Stanley at No. 8 overall. At No. 13 Jackson is still in play but there's no hope of a top player falling out courtesy people overdrafting quarterbacks.
The drop is worth 250 points according to the Jimmy Johnson trade chart, the equivalent of the 68th-overall pick (an early third-round selection). That's a lot to give up for taking on salary.
All in all, Miami took on two players with a lot of salary and some upside while moving down in the first round of the draft. Grade: C-
Howie Roseman is making deals. All the things Chip Kelly did wrong last offseason Roseman has almost already wiped out this offseason.
He shed DeMarco Murray's deal but the Maxwell/Alonso deal is the biggest coup. Dumping Maxwell's deal (a six-year, $63 million contract just one year in) and moving along from a linebacker who won't fit Jim Schwartz' system.
The biggest move might be the draft play. Without a second-round pick, the Eagles were in trouble if they want to snag one of the top-two quarterbacks (Jared Goff, Carson Wentz). At No. 8, they're firmly in play to move above the 49ers and snag one of those guys, should that be what they want to do.
With Sam Bradford -- and now Chase Daniels -- on the roster for the next two and three years, respectively, it's possible they're content just to move up a couple slots. Worst case scenario: two quarterbacks go before they pick and they're in a position to land a pretty strong prospect.
Dumping contracts from a fired coach/GM and moving up in the draft is a smart move. Grade: A
