It’s been a rough off-season for young linebackers in the NFL.
First, Sean Lee and Sean Weatherspoon suffered season-ending knee injuries, and now Kiko Alonso joins the club.
News broke Tuesday night that the Bills’ linebacker tore his ACL during an off-season workout in Oregon and he will miss the entire 2014 season.
It’s tough news for a Bills franchise that can’t seem to catch a break. They’ve been associated with tough luck for the better part of a decade–currently holding the league’s longest playoff drought–and the injury leaves a sizeable hole on the depth chart.
Alonso was a big reason the Bills were considered to be a franchise on the rise heading into the 2014 season. He was the runner-up for defensive rookie of the year and became so popular in Buffalo he even received a vote for mayor. He’s probably a better candidate than Rob Ford, at least.
Alonso played every single defensive snap last season and his 159 total tackles were more than the team’s second- and third-leading tacklers combined–Manny Lawson and Aaron Williams totalled 155. He tied for the team lead in interceptions and was graded by analytics site Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 10th best inside linebacker. He’s irreplaceable.
And Buffalo is already undergoing a major schematic change on defence. After Mike Pettine departed to become the head coach of Cleveland Browns, Alonso was moved from inside linebacker to a playmaking role on the weak side by coordinator Jim Schwartz. The scheme was set up so Alonso could fill a sideline-to-sideline role, similar to how DeAndre Levy was used in Detroit under Schwartz. Brandon Spikes was brought in to play a run-stuffing role in the middle on early downs with former first-round pick Keith Rivers and Alonso on the outside in base packages.
Internally, the Bills have some decent depth options to replace Alonso, but none with the range and coverage abilities of last year’s second round pick. They will likely move Rivers to the weak side. He played a bit there during off-season practices when Alonso was out with a hip injury, but mostly it’s an unproven group who are next up–Nigel Bradham, Preston Brown and Ty Powell–on the depth chart. It’s better than say, trading for retired linebacker Rolando McClain.
Outside of hardcore Bills fans, Bradham, Brown and Powell aren’t exactly prominent players around the league. Brown, a recent third-round pick from Lousville, might be the most logical candidate to fill in at one of the linebacker positions because of his upside. Starting him would give the club a chance to develop a player who could be part of the organization for a long time. Bradham is the next-best option; he has the speed and athleticism to move into Rivers’ role but needs to play with more consistency. He was drafted by the previous regime while Powell (a former Seattle Seahawks pick) is mostly a special-teams player who isn’t ready to fill in as a starter.
Due to the uncertainty of second-year quarterback EJ Manuel, the Bills need their defence to carry the load. They’re a run-based offence that is built to play close games. Playing without Alonso makes that significantly tougher and the club is already without last year’s best defensive back, Jairus Byrd, who departed as a free agent. The defensive line, which was already the strength of the unit, will have to carry even more of the load for the defence.
Even worse is the potential consequences if the Bills have another poor season. The Bills are without their 2015 first-round draft pick, which they gave up in the deal to acquire receiver Sammy Watkins on draft day. If that pick ends up being in the top five, it’s the kind of trade that could eventually cost Whaley and coach Doug Marrone their jobs–especially with new ownership on the way.
Without a doubt, the loss of Alonso stings the entire Buffalo Bills organization.
