Eagles Work Out CB William Jackson III Amid Injuries
PHILADELPHIA – Avonte Maddox became the second cornerback the Philadelphia Eagles have lost for what appears to be an entire season during Thursday night’s 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Already without Zech McPhearson, who tore an Achilles in an Aug. 18 preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, the Eagles are seeking to replenish some depth at the position if their workout of William Jackson III is any indication.
Jackson III is reportedly working out for the Eagles on Tuesday as they prepare to meet the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium on Monday night.
Jackson is an intriguing name since he is a former first-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2016 class. He played there for four seasons before playing the last two years with the Eagles' NFC East rival Washington Commanders.
Jackson, who has made 64 career starts, is reportedly fully healthy after missing all but four games last year in Washington with a bulging disc in his back.
Back injuries are never good, but if Jackson proves to be healthy he could bring experience to what is a group of young, mostly untested depth behind Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Josh Jobe, Kelee Ringo, and Mario Goodrich are the three behind the veterans.
Jackson also has experience playing in the slot and on the outside. The Eagles have a clear need for slot corners since both Maddox and McPhearson were their top options there.
William Jackson III makes an interception
USA Today
Goodrich played most of his snaps in the slot on Thursday night after Maddox went out early in the game with what is reportedly a torn pec.
“I started off slow, but I feel like my teammates helped pick me up, and they rallied around me,” said Goodrich after playing 39 defensive snaps (67 percent). “Coaches, just staying in my ear telling me, ‘You’re built for this, you’re here.’ That just helped me out throughout the second half, and really, just having my eyes disciplined in the second half.
“In the first half, I was very undisciplined with my eyes and my leverage. He ended up getting that corner route. Really just coming back next week and homing in on all the details, and really just focusing in on playing my leverage and just getting better.”
Head coach Nick Sirianni said on Monday that he is comfortable with in-house options, which would seem to include Goodrich and/or moving Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry into the slot or safety Justin Evans in there.
Bradberry has never done much slot work, though he was cross-trained there a bit this past summer. Evans has some experience doing it during his time with the New Orleans Saints.
“We feel like we have good options in-house to be able to move forward,” said Sirianni. “That’s why we cross-train people, whether that's a corner, a safety, whether that's the guys that play nickel.
“So, we feel like we have good in-house options there. Listen, are we going to miss Avonte? Of course, we are. He's a great football player who has made a lot of plays here. I thought he was playing really good football, really being aggressive. He caused that fumble and then made some really good plays on the perimeter.”
