Philadelphia Eagles: Byron Maxwell has been the weakest link

The Philadelphia Eagles knew they had to sign a marquee cornerback in free agency after watching Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams getting torched at will by opposing offenses, and former Seattle Seahawks No. 2 CB Byron Maxwell seemed like the perfect replacement. After all, he was battle-tested, having succeeded as a heavily-targeted corner across from the seldom-tested Richard Sherman. Maxwell’s performance in the 2014 playoffs was beyond fantastic, and he looked like a true shutdown corner then and at other times.

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Maxwell was supposed to be the star of the Eagles secondary and likely the second-best player on the defense behind Fletcher Cox, but we’ve seen the exact opposite unfold through the first four weeks of the 2015 regular season. Instead of being a strength and stabilizing force, Maxwell has been the Eagles worst player on defense so far this season, and it really isn’t even close. It’s almost sad how much worse the Eagles are against individuals that go up against Maxwell, and his hefty price tag only exacerbates the frustrating of the fan base with the first-time alpha CB.

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Football Outsiders does a great job of using DVOA to rank how good teams are at covering opposing positions/players in comparison to other teams around the league. The Eagles are in the top-half of the league at covering every position except for No. 1 receivers, and they are one of the ten best teams in the league at covering receivers that are No. 2 and lower on an opponent’s depth chart.

But they struggle against No. 1 receivers, who average an almost ridiculous 103.5 receiving yards per game against them, meaning that only the Atlanta Falcons (who don’t really use their No. 1 corner to shadow opposing receivers) allow more yards per game to No. 1 guys.

Julio Jones is never an easy matchup, but nine catches for 141 yards and two touchdowns on 11 targets? Maxwell absolutely has to do better than that, and he was thoroughly roasted. I know that Jones is a future Hall of Famer, but Maxwell is on a $63 million deal over six years with $25 million in guaranteed money; he has to at least pretend he can cover top receivers, right?

Maxwell was supposed to catch a break in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys with Dez Bryant out, but he instead found the speedy Terrance Williams equally difficult to deal with. Williams, who beat Maxwell on a 42-yard touchdown, would finish the game with 84 yards on four receptions and seven targets, easily the best game of his season so far. And he played the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, who are 23rd and 32nd in net yards per attempt allowed as a team. The Eagles? 11th, meaning that the have an above-average pass defense overall.

No Eric Decker? No problem! Brandon Marshall tore Byron Maxwell a new one, which means that the former Seahawk can proudly claim to have been beaten by three different receivers: the superstar, the young deep threat, and the savvy veteran possession receiver. What a trifecta!

A quad injury prevented Pierre Garcon from causing Maxwell any harm, so, naturally, the Washington Redskins unquestioned No. 1 receiver was held to less than 7.0 yards per target. Other No. 1 receivers averaged 12.8, 12.0, and 7.8 yards per target against the Eagles when Maxwell was on the field.

Here’s the thing: as we expected, the Philadelphia Eagles defense is pretty darn good, and, as a whole, it’s definitely improved by leaps and bounds from where it was last season. They have the NFL’s third-best run defense with just 3.3 yards per carry allowed, they have forced five picks to just six touchdowns allowed as a top-half pass defense, and they are in the top-half in overall scoring defense.

Sep 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall (15) makes a catch in front of Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Byron Maxwell (31) during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

As you can see, the problem is that No. 1 receivers are feasting on the Eagles, and Maxwell isn’t living up to the price tag. Full disclosure: I thought he would have a good first season in Philly, but there is no need to pretend that he’s been horrible through the first quarter of the season. He’s only been on the field for three full games and some change, but it’s clear that another “some change” needs to happen for this guy, otherwise he’ll be a free-agent CB bust a la Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

Maxwell has time to turn it around, and he has the talent to turn it around. I remain optimistic that this will happen, but his play has been inexcusably poor to this point. He’s the clear Achilles’ heel on an otherwise strong defense, and we can only hope that he’ll be fully healthy to face the New Orleans Saints this week.

Next: Did the Eagles have one of the best QBs ever?

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