Kiko Alonso looks good in early workouts
Miami began their voluntary workouts for veterans last week. The Dolphins coaches reported that Kiko Alonso looks fully healthy and could be back to original form.
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When Miami traded for linebacker Kiko Alonso, along with cornerback Byron Maxwell, in a pre-draft trade with Philadelphia, immediate concerns about Alonso’s knee surfaced. Alonso was excellent as a rookie with the Buffalo Bills, earning him Rookie-of-the-Year honors by the Pro Football Writers of America. However, Alonso suffered a knee injury in the 2014 off-season that required season-ending surgery prior to his sophomore year.
In March 2015, Buffalo decided to trade Alonso to Philadelphia in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy. Alonso looked great in his first game with the Eagles but, again, hurt his knee in week 2 causing him to miss the next five games. Upon his return, Alonso claimed that he was completely healthy but he never looked it in the second half of the Eagles season. The Eagles saw no issues in trading Alonso and an overpaid Maxwell to the Dolphins to move up in the 2016 NFL Draft and help rid themselves of the Chip Kelly era.
Miami already looks like the clear beneficiaries of the trade by acquiring two starters and still coming away with an overall number one talent in Laremy Tunsil from the draft. No one could have predicted Tunsil’s fall that stemmed from the leaked video of him smoking marijuana, but Miami would have drafted him at pick 8 too had they not moved down. If Alonso and Maxwell can be the forces they once were, this trade could go down as one of the best in franchise history.
In his first practice with the team at the Dolphins voluntary minicamp, Alonso impressed the coaches and his teammates in a big way. Of course there were no pads or anyone to hit but Alonso was reportedly quick and agile in his workouts, showing no further issues with his knee. Friends of his have continuously insisted that the Alonso of old is back. The Dolphins and their fans can only hope that holds true.
The Dolphins staff are putting a lot of faith in Alonso to be that player he once was and the starter for the upcoming season. For the second year in a row Miami did not draft a linebacker, insisting they’re happy with their current personnel. Also like last season, Miami signed three undrafted rookie linebackers but they will be battling each other to make a roster spot.
The Dolphins will rely heavily on Alonso to be their man in the middle and improve one of the worst ranked defenses from last season. It’s far-fetched to think that Alonso could record near 159 tackles again like he did as a rookie but if he can make the same kind of impact he did in Buffalo, this Miami defense could turn a complete 180 from last year. We’ll have to wait and see as well if Alonso’s knee can hold up for an entire season.
It’s too premature to fully evaluate when it’s only May but Alonso’s durability in workouts could mean that his knee issues are behind him. Alonso believes he’s fully recovered and that he is ready to enter what would normally be the prime of his career. The coaching staff is cautiously optimistic that Alonso is back to a level where he once was. Dolphins fans should be excited that they may have struck gold in more ways than one in a deal that cost them literally nothing.