Doug Whaley on Kiko Alonso: "He would excel" on the weak side

Ever since the Buffalo Bills replaced Mike Pettine with Jim Schwartz at the defensive coordinator post, speculation has ramped up that Kiko Alonso will be switching from middle linebacker to weak-side ("Will") linebacker in Schwartz's 4-3 defense. GM Doug Whaley did nothing to dispel that notion when asked about Alonso playing Will on Friday from the NFL Combine.

"I think that he would excel there, just like he excelled at middle linebacker. I think he’s got the skill set to excel at any of the three linebacker positions," Whaley said Friday. "One thing that would maybe help him, because of his frame, it would probably help him not being able to have to take on those offensive linemen as frequently, so he might be a little more productive."

Whaley went out of his way to note that any final decision on where Alonso ultimately plays will be left up to the coaching staff, but his echoing the opinion on Alonso's frame - which fueled the speculation about where Alonso may ultimately line up to begin with - is noteworthy.

If the Bills do plan on playing Alonso predominantly on the weak side, they'll need to upgrade the middle linebacker position, either through free agency or the draft.