Eagles consider options at slot cornerback with Avonte Maddox set for surgery

The Eagles will be without Avonte Maddox for the foreseeable future.

The slot cornerback is out indefinitely with a torn pectoral muscle that will require surgery, according to a league source who confirmed an NFL Network report. Maddox, 27, suffered the injury in the Eagles’ 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday and will likely miss the rest of the season barring a remarkably quick recovery.

Maddox has been a fixture in the Eagles defense, mostly as a nickel corner, since the team selected him out of Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. Maddox has struggled with injuries throughout his career, missing time in five of his six seasons and needing offseason surgery for a toe injury suffered last winter.

When healthy, Maddox has been a capable cover man on the inside for the Eagles and even saw time at safety and outside cornerback earlier in his career. Over the last three seasons, the 5-foot-9, 184-pound defensive back logged two interceptions and nine pass breakups.

In 2021, Maddox signed a contract extension that is set to pay him an average salary of $7.5 million through 2025.

The Eagles don’t have a clear path to replacing Maddox on the inside. Second-year undrafted defensive back Mario Goodrich came in for Maddox against Minnesota, but the team also could move James Bradberry inside once the veteran cornerback clears concussion protocol or put third-round rookie safety Sydney Brown in the slot.

“We feel like we have good options in-house to be able to move forward,” coach Nick Sirianni said Monday. “That’s why we cross-train people, whether that’s a corner, whether that’s a safety, whether that’s the guys that play nickel. So we feel like we have good options there.”

Although Bradberry has been an outside cornerback his entire career, the 30-year-old did spend some time working out of the slot during training camp under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai. When asked what he saw from Bradberry during those reps, Sirianni abstained from commenting, citing competitive reasons.

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“That’s kind of something I don’t want to say quite yet,” Sirianni said. “I think there’s a mystery of unknown that their slot receivers have to prepare for. I will say that we feel like we have really good options there and we’ve worked with many different guys, not just James, but many different guys right there.”

At 6-1 with a long wingspan, Bradberry has prototypical outside-cornerback size, but the increased frequency of teams lining up tight ends or bigger receivers in the slot makes the 2022 All-Pro a prime candidate to bump inside for specific matchups.

Going into the season, Bradberry said he felt he was an ideal fit for the nickel cornerback spot.

“I think [my style] suits it,” he said. “And I think also having me take some reps in there can help us in the future. Because offenses are so developed, they’ve got so many weapons on teams like tight ends, bigger receivers, they line up guys wherever. There’s also wide receivers in the backfield. So having a corner, a bigger corner that can line up inside and take nickel reps or even line up at safety, I feel like it helps you as a play-caller.”

Regardless of a potential move, the Eagles are still waiting on Bradberry to return to the lineup. He suffered a concussion in the season opener against the New England Patriots. Sirianni said players weren’t in the building Monday but said each of the team’s injured players on the active roster would have a chance to play next Monday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He did not comment about Bradberry because he’s in the concussion protocol.

If Bradberry moves to the nickel, it will likely mean second-year undrafted corner Josh Jobe will occupy Bradberry’s typical spot opposite Darius Slay on the outside. Jobe started in Bradberry’s place against the Vikings, his first extended action in the defense since making the 53-man roster last season. The former Alabama cornerback had tough matchups against Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. According to Pro Football Focus, he gave up six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets.

Goodrich didn’t fare much better, giving up six catches for 60 yards and one score on six targets after coming in for Maddox in the second quarter.

“Our confidence level is high with both of those guys and we’re excited for their opportunities as they go,” Sirianni said. “Not only on defense but also on special teams, so we’re pleased with a lot of things they did defensively.”