BOCA RATON, Fla. — When Howie Roseman pulled off a trade to move up five spots in the first round in return for Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, many thought the Eagles clearly got the better of the deal.
Dolphins first-year head coach Adam Gase doesn’t see it that way.
“I was fine with [the trade],” Gase said emphatically on Tuesday at the league’s annual owners meetings.
Why?
“Because we got two starters and we’re going to add a third with (pick) 13,” he said. “So I look at it, we move back five spots and we got three starters.
“I was all for it. Because I know this: One guy is not going to change our team. So adding three starters for us is a big deal. We have a lot of needs we need to fill, so when we started talking with those guys and (Dolphins vice president of football operations) Mike (Tannenbaum) felt really good about the two players we were going to get. I felt really good about it.”
Roseman said the Eagles executed the trade because they identified 10 players in the draft who they are convinced can be Pro Bowl players. But it’s also likely the Eagles wanted to shed Maxwell’s salary and viewed Alonso as a disposable resource after a dismal 2015.
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The Eagles might not miss either player in 2016.
But the Dolphins hope they will.
“[Maxwell will] be able to do more of what he’s done in the past, where he’s had success,” Gase said. “I’ve competed against him a couple times in Seattle and he challenged us and we had some pretty good receivers. So I feel really good about him coming in. I could feel his excitement getting down here.”
Gase said he wants to allow Maxwell to press at the line more this season than he did in his one year for Philadelphia. He wants him to be able to play more aggressively.
Meanwhile, he’s excited about the speed Alonso will bring as a linebacker, and hopes he’ll be improve as he gets further away from his previous ACL injury.
“He’s gonna fit into what we do really well,” Gase said.