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The assets that Kwon Alexander brings to the New Orleans Saints defense are clear: his combination of football smarts and athleticism result in a linebacker who can rapidly read and react to plays as they develop, putting him in position to make a play.
But there’s a catch, beyond his extensive injury history. Pro Football Focus has dinged Alexander with more missed tackles than any other player since he entered the league (89), which looks even worse considering he’s missed 35 games during that timespan. Like most players, he’s flawed. It’s why he was available in a trade in the first place.
So let this stat reset your expectations a bit. Alexander can still be a productive player, especially for a mostly-bad Saints defense, and his presence as a true middle linebacker should move Demario Davis back to his natural weakside alignment, where he won All-Pro recognition last year.
On the occasions when he does miss a tackle, just doing enough to disrupt the offense and slow down the ball-carrier could help teammates rally to force a stop. The Saints have played with poor eye discipline far too often, making them vulnerable to bootleg plays and allowing tight ends to run untouched through their zone coverage for easy completions. Those are areas where just having someone with Alexander’s wheels and intelligence can make a difference.
And maybe he can clean up his act in this area. Davis missed 14 tackles in 2018, his first year with the Saints (having averaged 12.3 misses in his previous three years with the Browns and Jets), but more time in their system and work with their coaches helped him cut that number down to just 6 missed tackles in 2019. He’s already missed 6 times in 2020, but that’s after being moved back to the middle spot.
If Alexander’s addition pushes Davis back to an area of strength — where he has shown a better knack for reading his offensive line keys and taking more efficient angles to the ball — then he should be expected to become an impact player again. And the Saints should be able to work with Alexander on his tackling just like they’ve done with Davis and their other players.
And, hey. A big part of the problem was that Alexander had to try and tackle opponents like Alvin Kamara so often in the NFC South (for his part, Kamara is keeping Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians on his toes). He and Kamara are now wearing the same uniform, so maybe that alone should help him see more favorable matchups.
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