Philadelphia Eagles Re-Sign CB Avonte Maddox; Why Running It Back Made Sense

Avonte Maddox has been one of the best slot CBs in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles but needs to find a way to stay healthy.

PHILADELPHIA - In the NFL, the best ability is availability.

Had Philadelphia Eagles slot cornerback Avonte Maddox stayed healthy over the past two seasons there is little doubt that the Pittsburgh product would be scheduled to finish up the final year of a three-year, $22.5 million extension he signed on November of 2021, or perhaps even wrangling for another extended deal from the team that drafted him in the fourth round of the 2018 selection process.

Instead, Maddox was a salary-cap casualty back on March 7 before returning to the Eagles Thursday by signing a new one-year deal, according to a league source.

Over his six NFL seasons, Maddox had stayed healthy for the full workload only once during the 2021 campaign, a reality that forced the need for the Eagles to reset his contract. Maddox was set to make $6.85 million in 2024 before he was released.

When healthy, Maddox, 28, has proven to be one of the better slot defenders in the NFL with excellent short-area quickness to handle option routes, the toughness and savvy to seamlessly handle his run fits, and the knack to time up the occasional blitz well.

Listed at just 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, Maddox plays a very physical brand of football for his size, however, and hasn’t been able to stay on the field in recent seasons, missing 21 of a possible 34 regular-season games with an assortment of injuries, including 13 last season after being injured in Week 2 with a torn pec.

Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox (29).

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Maddox did work tirelessly to return last season and made it back for Weeks 17 and 18 against Arizona and at the New York Giants, as well as the playoff loss at Tampa Bay when he moved from slot CB back to safety to replace Reed Blankenship, who was out with a groin injury that ultimately required surgery.

There was no guarantee that a reunion would be taking place and shortly after being granted his freedom, Maddox visited the New Orleans Saints but no deal was in the offing.

As time continued to pass, running it back with Philadelphia, where Maddox’s good friend and former roommate Dallas Goedert is still a big part of the offensive plan, began to make more sense. 

Although official numbers for the contract are not in yet, the Eagles are surely getting Maddox back at a substantial discount. In turn, Maddox will get the opportunity to prove himself again in a place he’s comfortable before potentially returning to the free-agent market next spring.

Replacing Maddox in the slot proved to be more than troublesome for the Eagles last season who used seven different players to try to hold down the fort, starting with Mario Goodrich, who finished up a Week 2 win over Minnesota after Maddox went down.

From there, veteran outside corner James Bradberry, in-season pickup Bradley Roby, returning emergency option Josiah Scott, Pro Bowl outside CB Darius Slay, rookie safety Sydney Brown, and undrafted rookie outside CB Eli Ricks were all thrown into the fire at times to little success. 

Maddox will immediately be penciled in as the starting slot CB right now but it would be foolhardy for the Eagles to assume he’s going to be there for 17-plus games and the organization has seemingly learned from what it went through last season when Maddox was unavailable.

This time there is a host of contingencies in place even before the draft later this month.

The Eagles signed CB Isaiah Rodgers last season and expect him back after a year’s suspension for gambling. Rodgers, 26, looked like an ascending player in Indianapolis before getting into trouble, albeit on the outside. The Colts, however, had Kenny Moore, one of the better inside CBs in the NFL. At 5-10, 170 pounds, Rodgers may be better suited for slot work.

The Eagles also signed natural slot corner Tyler Hall, 25, in free agency after two seasons in Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, playmaking safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, 26, returned after a year exiled in Detroit and while Gardner-Johnson sees himself as one of the better young safeties in the NFL, he’s also proven more than capable as a slot player.