Can the Philadelphia Eagles new DC rejuvenate Avonte Maddox’s career?

During his rookie season back in 2018, it looked like the Philadelphia Eagles might’ve stumbled upon a hidden gem at the cornerback position with Avonte Maddox. While he didn’t have a perfect first year in the NFL, he had a huge interception in the team’s must-win game against the Rams in Week 14, and matched up admirably against DeAndre Hopkins the following week.

Targeted 42 times that year, Maddox finished the season allowing a completion rate of 45.2% and an opposing passer rating of 52.0.

Impressive stuff for a fourth round pick being chucked into the deep end on a team pressing for a spot in the postseason.

Philadelphia Eagles CB Avonte Maddox could benefit from a new scheme.

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Despite Maddox’s above average rookie season, things started to go in the wrong direction soon after. While he was decent for the most part in 2019, a nasty neck injury in Week 4 knocked him out of commission for the majority of the season. It was hard to get a good read on Maddox that year due to the severity of the injury, leading many to believe that he needed a full offseason of rest and recovery to get back to his 2018 form.

Alas, that bounce back did not happen. The Philadelphia Eagles defensive coaching staff – led by Jim Schwartz at the time – foolishly went into the 2020 season with the plan of playing Maddox at outside corner, despite his 5-9 stature. Maddox was picked on all year long, allowing a completion rate of 67.3% while also allowing a passer rating of 108.3 when targeted.

Both numbers were career worsts for Maddox, and he recorded zero interceptions and just three passes defensed. The former fourth round pick ultimately finished the year with yet another injury,  missing the last three weeks due to a knee issue.

Since his promising 2018 season, Maddox has very much been trending in the wrong direction. He’s battled multiple injuries and playing on the boundary in 2020 didn’t help his development at all. At 5-9, he’d ideally be a slot corner or even a free safety in a modern day NFL offense.

The good news for Maddox, however, is that he’ll get one final opportunity to impress in Philadelphia under a new defensive coaching staff, one that is known to elicit good defensive back play. Recently hired defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon made a name for himself as the Colts defensive backs coach from 2018-2020, most recently helping veteran corner Xavier Rhodes rebound from the worst season of his career.

Under Gannon’s watch, my guess is that Maddox will slide into the slot (where he belongs), focusing his efforts on making becoming a reliable option underneath and across the middle of the field. Injuries aside for the moment, Maddox has proven to be a willing tackler, and has a good amount of “twitchiness” to him when it comes to contesting balls at the catch point. There’s definitely some potential trapped in there – it’s just about showcasing it in 2021.

Maddox will be a free agent in 2022, and the Philadelphia Eagles in all honestly would probably prefer to re-sign him. His past inconsistencies and injuries could see him retained for a relatively cheap price, and at just 24 years old he could give the franchise 5+ years of CB play.

If Gannon can connect with Maddox the way he did with some of the Colts DBs, there’s no reason the duo can’t put together a solid 2021 campaign. If Maddox proves to be a solid option for Gannon in the slot, it’d definitely benefit the Eagles to see him re-signed for the foreseeable future.

Hopefully Gannon can work some of the CB magic that he so routinely showcased in Indy.