Eagles Activate Maddox From IR: 'It's Been Forever!'

“It feels great,” he said after the team opened the 21-day practice window to return last week. “It feels like it’s been forever, but I worked hard to be here today.”

To open a spot on the roster, the Eagles put tight end Albert Okwuegbunam on injured reserve with a hamstring injury.

The Eagles went through more than half a dozen players trying to solve their slot cornerback spot after Maddox went down.

“The slot is a hard position,” said Maddox. “It’s a lot of responsibility. You have to be vocal and talk and be confident in what you’re doing. It’s not easy, and I know it’s not easy, so you can fault anybody being put inside there, especially the younger guys trying to learn it. I feel they’re doing it the best they can, and I would try to do as much as I can to help in a way.”

Bradley Roby was brought to Philly in October but got hurt after two games and missed a month. Roby is healthy now and playing well so Maddox only fortifies the position while one or both could be used on the outside if the need arises.

Either way, Maddox’s return should help a defense that has been a shell of what it was a season ago when it finished second overall.

He said he believed he could return about halfway through the season.

“Probably like a month ago I felt like was getting stronger,” he said. “It was kind of moving slow at the beginning because you’re always in a sling, but after that, I felt like I could move.

“It was supposed to be season-ending, and it takes a long time to heal, but we all have different bodies, and we all heal differently. I figure I heal pretty fast and I’m a guy (whose) pain tolerance is pretty higher than normal because I was playing on turf toe last year and needed surgery but still played.”

In just 84 snaps before his injury, Maddox made eight tackles, with five solo stops, and was credited with two passes defended and a forced fumble.

“It’ll be the best feeling in the world,” said Maddox when asked how it would feel to return. “I love playing the game, I respect the game, and I love playing with those guys.

"When I’m out there on the field I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else than there, so anytime I can step back on the field there’ll be a big smile on my face, and I’ll be looking to have more fun.”