Kiko Alonso: Miami 'wasn't a good fit' before trade from Dolphins to Saints

Alonso will learn this week where his fit will be in a linebacker group that includes three returning starters and a top backup in the process of returning from injury.

Miami Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso (47) celebrates forcing a fumble with Miami Dolphins linebacker Chase Allen (59) in the first half against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

NEW ORLEANS — Kiko Alonso has been here before.

In a new locker room. With new teammates. The New Orleans Saints linebacker acquired in a swap with the Miami Dolphins has been traded three times in his seven-year NFL career.

The Saints are his fourth team.

"I'm used to it," the 29-year-old said about making another address change.

This week, Alonso will learn more about his fit in a linebacker group that includes three returning starters and a top backup in the process of returning from injury.

The Saints open the season Sept. 9 against the Houston Texans, a Monday night that gives Alonso an added day to learn the Saints and their defensive system.

"There will be a transition," Sean Payton said. "We'll let that stuff kind of sort itself out. We feel we got a group of players we got a lot of confidence in."

Alonso said he requested a trade from the Dolphins because "it wasn't a good fit" with first-year coach Brian Flores and the defensive scheme he brought from the New England Patriots as a defensive assistant.

According to Football Outsiders, Miami last season played in a base, three-linebacker defense 40 percent of the time, far greater than the 12 percent New England played with a seven-man front with Flores sometimes calling plays.

The Saints had their base defense one the field 16 percent of the time, not much more than New England.

The Patriots, however, used a sixth defensive back on 33 percent of plays, far more than the Saints' 2 percent — a big difference for linebackers who come off the field in place of other defensive backs.

Alonso evidently liked what the Saints offered with his willingness to accept a slightly reduced salary for the 2019 season, NFL Network reported Sunday.

"I'm very familiar with these guys," Alonso said. "I got respect for a lot of the guys on this team."

The Saints linebacker group consists of Alex Anzalone, A.J. Klein and Demario Davis as returning starters, and Craig Robertson as a top backup. Kaden Elliss is a seventh-round drafted rookie.

Payton said Monday he thinks Anzalone will be healthy for Week 1 after he missed the final three preseason games and practices due to an unspecified injury.

The Saints also put three linebackers on injured reserve during the roster cut-down process, including veteran Will Compton, who the team added when Robertson suffered an unspecified injury in the second preseason game.

"I think it would be premature to try and anticipate how it unfolds," Payton said. "But we feel like he’s someone that — we played against him, he's a tremendous effort player. You see it, feel it when he plays. We'll be excited to welcome him here and find the right role as the season progresses."

Named the Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Pro Football Writers Association with the Buffalo Bills in 2013, Alonso missed much of the next two seasons with an ACL tear in 2014 with the Bills and then another knee injury in 2015 that put him out for five games with the Eagles.

While in Miami, Alonzo stayed healthy enough to miss only two games and play in more than 96 percent of all snaps on defense his three seasons there. His 354 tackles over that span rank fifth among linebackers, according to Pro Football Reference. 

His first week with the Saints will be spent learning another new defensive scheme. Having made similar moves in the past, he'll need to learn the new lingo used by Saints defenders. Once he gets that down, he thinks it will be like any other place he's been.