Eagles Top 25 Best Players Countdown: Make It Four In A Row For the CBs At No. 22

The Eagles know what Avonte Maddox can do on the field. It's about whether the veteran can stay on it.

Sep 10, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox (29) makes a catch during the warm-up period before a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. / Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - We promise that the top 25 Eagles for the 2024 season aren’t all cornerbacks but for the fourth consecutive day, that position group headlines with veteran slot option Avonte Maddox landing at No. 22 overall.

The list has become an annual affair in which SI.com’s Eagles beat reporters Ed Kracz and John McMullen submit their top 25 lists at the same time so each would be unaffected by the others.

No. 1 on the list is awarded 25 points and so on down the list with No. 25 receiving one point.

One player will be revealed each day as we count down until Eagles training camp with players set to report on July 23.

The countdown began with second-year CB Kelee RIngo debuting on the list at No. 25 with rookie Cooper DeJean and spring standout Isaiah Rodgers following.

Maddox finished No. 20 on Kracz’s list (six points) and 24th on McMullen’s (two points) to settle in spot No. 22 overall.

There is little doubt in Philadelphia when it comes to Maddox’s ability on the field but plenty of questions surround whether the 5-foot-9, 184-pound Pitt product can stay on it.

Avonte Maddox meets with the media during the Philadelphia Eagles' minicamp. / By Ed Kracz/SI Eagles

Maddox missed more regular-season games (21) than he played over the past two seasons (13). That’s why the Eagles released him from the final year of a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension he signed in November 2021 instead of paying the Pittsburgh product the $6.85 million he was originally set to make in 2024.

Once given his freedom, Maddox took his time while pondering his next move and even visited the New Orleans Saints before agreeing to come back to the only professional team he’s known on a one-year, prove-it deal that could be worth $2M.

"It was just chill for me," Maddox said about his four weeks of limbo. "I wasn’t really sweating it too much. When it’s the offseason, I focus on my family and friends for the most part. Coming back, I’m excited. I’m here to compete and have fun and win a Super Bowl." 

Maddox suffered a torn pec in Week 2 of last season, wiping out most of his campaign. His absence highlighted just how important he was to the defense when the slot became a revolving door of inefficiency.

Of all the defensive problems the Eagles had in freefall from having the top-ranked pass defense in 2022, to No. 31 last season, none were as glaring as the issues in trying to make do without Maddox, who eventually did return by Week 17 but had difficulty knocking the rust off.

"That’s definitely a mental thing. I’ve had a great amount of injuries," Maddox admitted. "That’s another thing I’ve been working on this offseason, attacking my body and making sure I come back as healthy as possible. 

“I feel like this year is a great year for me. The past two years, it’s been the turf toe, and I didn’t really get to participate in OTAs or camp. This year I was able to go into the offseason and get my body right, and I’m coming back fully healthy, ready to compete." 

The contingencies in the slot are also better for the Eagles this season and could include DeJean, who got second-team nickel reps in the spring, free-agent Tyler Hall, and potentially even Rodgers, who played strictly outside CB in the spring. Maddox, however, is the lone proven option.

Maddox was with the first-team defense in the slot for the majority of the reps this spring and also played some with the second-team at safety, a versatility that could help GM Howie Roseman with the number crunching down to 53. 

“I'm learning,” Maddox said of the potential dual role. “I know the nickel spot really well, and I feel like something that helped me in my career is to learn the safety spot. As you get older, you get a little bit slower.”

MORE NFL: Eagles Top 25 Best Players Countdown: Checking In At No. 23 Is Another Cornerback