While, with three days gone be in training camp, it's too early to tell exactly what effect he'll have on the Eagles' fortunes against the pass, one veteran is confident when that time comes, they won't be disappointed.
"Maxwell's been as good as suspected," linebacker Connor Barwin said, via ESPN. "You can tell he was on a Super Bowl team and played with a very, very good group over there."
Maxwell started only 17 games with the Seahawks, a reason many have felt his contract was too generous, though he consistently showed his ability in pass-coverage situations opposite Richard Sherman.
Seattle averaged the best pass defense in football in 2014.
His deal comes for six years as the Eagles try to atone for Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams, a tandem that last season helped allow 18 pass plays of 40 or more yards, the most in football. Philadelphia overall posted the second-worst pass defense in the NFL, and came away with only 12 interceptions.
"When you see him in person, not evaluating him on film, but it's just how big and tall and long he is, and what a disruptive force he was, especially when he was playing those guys in the press man," head coach Chip Kelly said.
That ability is precisely what the Eagles need in pass coverage -- physicality and ball skills, someone who can bother receivers at the line and get them out of rhythm.
The departure of Fletcher and Williams, and that of Brandon Boykin in recent days, makes the Eagles' defensive secondary Maxwell's personal property, a duty that will involve breaking in rookies like JaCorey Shepherd. It's a role he's embracing.
"I'm automatically thrust into a leadership role just because of the position I'm in," Maxwell said. "It's a responsibility I have. I'm aware. I've just got to make sure I'm giving them Byron Maxwell and I'm not trying to be somebody else."
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