If there are pair of players who know what it feels like to be the “other” corner next to Richard Sherman it would be Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond. Both players flourished at being on the other side of Sherman and both have left to get from under the shadows of the LOB secondary.
Thurmond was a free agent in the spring of 2014 and signed with the New York Giants. His year was riddled with a season ending injury and he wasn’t able to capitalize on his one year deal with the Giants.
Maxwell was the beneficiary of the Thurmond leaving and became free agent this winter/spring. The Seahawks wanted to keep him, but knew the price was too steep which how much they have locked in with the other LOB members.
After it was all said and done Thurmond and Maxwell are teammates again as they both signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. Thurmond signed a one year deal with the Eagles with hopes of hitting it big in 2016’s free agency market something he tried last year, but failed because of an injury. Maxwell got cashed out to the tune of $63 million over six years with $25 million guaranteed. He may be a little overpaid in my opinion, but young brother get that money. Hopefully the reunion will bode well for both players, they both are trying to prove they can fly (no pun intended) without the LOB behind them to cover up mistakes.
If Thurmond plays well he could position himself to get a nice contract next year and if Maxwell plays well he can prove he wasn’t a product of the system. We will see if these two add some stability to the Eagles weak cornerback situation, only time will tell.
