After suffering multiple injuries in Week 18, the Eagles are preparing veteran cornerback Avonte Maddox to play safety Monday in the wild-card round in Tampa.
Maddox, 27, hosted safety officials at practice this week.
“It’s definitely possible,” Maddox said. “I was ready for this. I worked hard every time I went out on the field. It’s safe and really convenient. I’ve played it a lot throughout my career. This was nothing new to me.”
In Week 18, Eagles cornerback Reed Blankenship suffered a groin injury and missed the first two days of practice that week. And rookie Sydney Brown suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). The only defenseman remaining on the 53-man roster is veteran Kevin Byard. This is where Maddox’s versatility comes into play.
As Maddox noted, this is nothing new to him. Maddox is in his sixth season in the NFL and has shown versatility before. In fact, he was playing somewhat safe in Week 2, until his chest injury forced him to sit on the bench for most of this season.
Maddox returned a few weeks ago and is trying to shake off the rust. Now he may have to line up next to Byard in Monday night’s playoff game.
“He was there with me,” Byard said. “But they’ll also be working with other people there, at least during the practice period. But I think Avonte will be with me. He’s a veteran and has been in this league for a while. He also played safety. It’s a pretty easy transition. Obviously, Reid is a really good player. But I am confident that with Avonte we can defend the situation quite well.”
The reason playing Maddox at safety is a somewhat attractive option is because the Eagles have more depth at slot corner than at safety. The next quarterback will be practice squad player Tristin McCollum. But the Eagles have veteran Bradley Roby and rookie Eli Ricks ready to play corner if Maddox returns at safety.
And while Maddox has had some struggles in his NFL career, he always makes sure he’s ready to play safety if the team needs him. Maddox said that even without injuries, he often interferes with safety during individual drills during training.
“It’s definitely nice to be able to play multiple positions,” Maddox said. “Now that [Bayard] is back, he’s helped me a lot. As far as learning is concerned, I could ask him anything and he would give me the answer. And Reed too. In meetings, he and I sit side by side and we always discuss what nickel and safety are. So it’s nothing new.”
This season has been a bit disappointing for Maddox as he has missed most of the games. Maddox tore his chest wall against the Vikings in Week 2 and required surgery, missing 13 games midway through this season. He returned and played 29 snaps against the Cardinals on New Year’s Eve and played 28 snaps last weekend. Even Maddox admitted that he got a little rusty from the film, but of course he was a little rusty.
Maddox is hoping to shake off all that rust before the playoffs.
“Oh, that’s right.” Maddox said. “It’s tough for a guy who missed 13 games and then came back and shined. It usually doesn’t work that way. Everything is moving so fast, you need to slow down. It’s just about getting back to the feel of the game. I needed this my first week back home and now I feel more comfortable.”
The good news is that Maddox believes he is moving in the right direction. He seemed much more patient in the second game than in the first. He just wants to keep making the playoffs.
The Eagles’ defense has struggled for much of the season, especially recently. There are many problems, but one of them is the lack of big games. Maddux needs to be healthy to make big plays.
And this is from one of his two positions. “The interaction was great and communication was great,” Byard said. “It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the game.”
