Source: Eagles-Dolphins trade back on after veering off to the shoulder

BREAKING: A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the Eagles-Dolphins trade will go forward as agreed, with no change in compensation, meaning the Eagles will move up from 13th overall to 8th in the coming draft, and the Dolphins will take corner Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso. See below for details on how the whole thing nearly got messed up by concern over Maxwell's loose shoulder joint.

Previously:

Are they trying to sign free agent cornerbacks today, or not? Do they have enough salary cap room, and a starting vacancy?

These are questions the Eagles and the Dolphins thought they'd resolved, and are finding they haven't, as the free agent market lurches on without them toward its official 4 p.m. Wednesday opening.

There was a caveat to that Eagles-Dolphins trade, negotiated Monday but remaining unofficial until the 4 p.m. Wednesday start of the league year. The players the Eagles traded, Byron Maxwell and Kiko Alonso, were told they'd been dealt "pending physicals."

For Eagles Nation, there was some mild concern about Alonso's repaired left knee, which checked out fine, it turned out. Maxwell, despite apparent eagerness to put his brief Eagles tenure behind him, reworking his Twitter bio and even his contract, showed up for the physical and told the Miami doctor he could not bench press or do pushups, because of the SC joint injury that cost him the final two games of the 2015 season, a source with knowledge of the situation told the Daily News. It would seem the ligaments around the joint haven't completely healed, and the joint is loose.

This was perplexing to the Eagles for many reasons, not the least of which that Maxwell told their doctors he was fine at the end of the season, and said he could have played had the team made the playoffs, the source said. The source said Maxwell has worked out at the Eagles' facility since and hasn't sought any sort of treatment.

So, the entire trade is on hold while the Dolphins check with various specialists. It's hard to envision the whole thing being killed this late in the game, but the apparent compensation -- the Eagles moving up from 13th to 8th in the first round -- could be in jeopardy.

If the compensation really is the only question, then one would think the Eagles and the Dolphins could continue whatever plans they have for free agency. But if the Eagles aren't in a mood to accept less than what was agreed upon, well, then nobody knows whether Maxwell is fish or fowl.

If I were Maxwell, I would decide that my shoulder suddenly felt a whole lot better. It isn't like he ever uses it in tackling, anyway.