The Philadelphia Eagles are signing slot corner Avonte Maddox, according to a report from Adam Schefter. The Eagles released Maddox as a cap casualty a month ago, but he's now back, almost certainly at a substantially discounted rate.
Over the last few seasons, 2023 excluded, Maddox has been one of the better slot corners in the NFL. Unfortunately, he has not been able to stay on the field.
He missed 14 games in 2023 with a torn pectoral muscle, and he missed games at three different junctures during the season in 2022. He also missed three games in 2018, four games in 2019, and six games in 2020. Obviously, he has significant durability issues.
In 2023, the Eagles tried to replace Maddox with a half dozen different players — James Bradberry, Mario Goodrich, Bradley Roby, Josiah Scott, Sydney Brown, and Eli Ricks. All of those guys even started games in the slot, with the exception of Ricks. A look at the Eagles' slot corner starters, by game:
• Week 1, Patriots: Avonte Maddox
• Week 2, Vikings: Avonte Maddox
• Week 3, Buccaneers: James Bradberry
• Week 4, Commanders: James Bradberry
• Week 5, Rams: Mario Goodrich
• Week 6, Jets: Bradley Roby
• Week 7, Dolphins: Josiah Scott
• Week 8, Commanders: Sydney Brown
• Week 9, Cowboys: Sydney Brown
• Week 11, Chiefs: Bradley Roby
• Week 12, Bills: Bradley Roby
• Week 13, 49ers: Bradley Roby
• Week 14, Cowboys: Bradley Roby
• Week 15, Seahawks: Sydney Brown
• Week 16, Giants: Sydney Brown
• Week 17, Cardinals: Avonte Maddox
• Week 18, Giants: Avonte Maddox
• Wildcard, Buccaneers: Avonte Maddox
Those teams got some big individual performances from receivers who often worked out of the slot:
• Terry McLaurin, Commanders: 8 catches, 86 yards
• Cooper Kupp, Rams: 8 catches, 118 yards
• Garrett Wilson, Jets: 8 catches, 90 yards
• Tyreek Hill, Dolphins: 11 catches, 88 yards, 1 TD (one wide-open TD, dropped)
• Terry McLaurin, Commanders: 5 catches, 63 yards, 1 TD
• CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys: 11 catches, 191 yards
• Stefon Diggs, Bills: 6 catches, 74 yards, 1 TD
• Deebo Samuel, 49ers: 4 catches, 116 yards, 2 TDs
• CeeDee Lamb: 6 catches, 71 yards, 1 TD
(Those guys didn't necessarily work out of the slot exclusively, but they all did at least some notable damage from the slot.)
Slot corners have to communicate with outside corners, safeties, and linebackers, so when you're playing six different guys in there it's difficult to achieve cohesiveness. It's a position where having a durable player is particularly important, especially if you don't have a capable backup.
Maddox previously had a base salary of $6,850,000 in 2024 before the team released him. There was never a chance that the Eagles were going to keep him on the roster at that number. However, the team loves Maddox, and his return isn't at all surprising.
Though Maddox is back on the team, the Eagles cannot rest on their laurels at slot corner, as they were ill-prepared for Maddox's absence a year ago. That cannot happen again in 2024.
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