The Eagles' 2-For-1 Player

Veteran defensive back Avonte Maddox looks like he will allow Howie Roseman to keep another body in the defensive backfield.

PHILADELPHIA - Life moves fast in the NFL.

In November of 2021, Eagles defensive back Avonte Maddox was riding high, signing a three-year, $22.5 extension as one of the better slot cornerbacks in the NFL.

Maddox, 28, never made it to the end of that contract, not because his play declined but because the 5-foot-9, 184-pound seventh-year pro didn't stay on the field consistently.

An assortment of injuries limited Maddox to 20 of 34 regular-season games over the past two seasons, and the Eagles released the veteran in March before agreeing to bring him back at a reduced salary about a month later.

"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."

His role may be changing as well. Maddox took more first-team reps than anyone else in the slot this spring. He also cross-trained as a backup safety, a versatility that could help GM Howie Roseman keep an extra body among his group as young CBs at the cutdown to 53, essentially making him a 2-for-1 player.

“I'm learning,” Maddox said this spring. “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.”

A fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh in 2018, Maddox has played significant snaps at outside CB and safety as well as his natural position over the years, and his ability to move around and understand each position could help new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio better hide the menu of zone coverages he likes to throw at opposing quarterbacks.

“Right now, I'm kind of mostly just working on my footwork because it's a little bit different," said Maddox. "And vision-wise, you’ve got a lot more vision in the back end than inside with the nickel spot. And you just have different techniques and footwork you have to use back there at safety than I would have used in nickel. But I'm definitely comfortable and definitely confident.

"I know all the calls, I know what to do, I know what to say, I know where everybody's at on the field.”

The Eagles' revolving door at the slot position last season started when Maddox tore his pec in Week 2 at Minnesota and the team's inability to replace him may have been the single greatest contributor to the freefall from No. 1 pass defense in 2022 to No. 31 last season.

"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 and participate in the OTAs."

Getting talented rookie Cooper DeJean on the field as quickly as possible may be the Eagles' goal inside but a healthy Maddox could keep that end game on the shelf.

To make that decision harder for the organization, Maddox has been taking his off-the-field preparation more seriously.

“Getting stronger, lifting heavier and doing all the little things, running more, and doing all the little things that can get the tweaks out of the areas that are weak," Maddox said. "I feel like that could have been a reason for the injuries. So, eating better, sleeping more. I mean, I got a freakin’ Oura ring and a Whoop watch on, so I’m in bed at 9 o’clock. I’m doing all the little things that can save me a little longer and help me out with injuries."

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