All Avonte Maddox could do in the days after his late September surgery was sit on his couch and be glum. It was his second surgery of the year, following an operation to repair a toe after the Super Bowl in February.
“That was the tough part,” said Maddox, about his mental state following September’s surgery to repair a torn pectoral muscle suffered in Week 2. “I had the surgery right after the Super Bowl and the second one the second week of the season, so that was emotionally the tough part about it.”
The Philadelphia Eagles cornerback attacked his rehab and it paid off on Saturday when he was activated from injured reserve, in time to play against the Arizona Cardinals in Sunday’s Week 17 game at Lincoln Financial Field.
“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.”
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