Eagles activate CB Avonte Maddox from IR

The 26-year-old was expected to be back soon, given the team’s decision to designate him for return earlier this week. He exited the Eagles’ Week 9 victory with an ankle injury and has been out since then. That marked a significant blow to Philadelphia’s personnel, if not their performance, on the backend of their defense. 2020 fourth-rounder Josiah Scott had been filling in as a starter in the nickel.

Maddox made 27 tackles in his first six contests in 2022, adding one interception and three pass deflections. That represented an encouraging start to his first season after inking a three-year deal to remain in Philadelphia, but the injury interrupted his campaign. Despite the injury, the NFC-leading Eagles have been able to maintain one of the league’s elite defenses. Philadelphia leads the NFL with 15 interceptions and ranks second with an average of 179 yards allowed per game through the air.

Maddox will once again line up with Darius Slay and James Bradberry operating on the perimeter. That, coupled with safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps, will give the Eagles one of the most formidable secondaries in the NFL during the closing weeks of the regular season and into the playoffs. That could become especially important given the loss of edge rusher Robert Quinn for an extended stretch after the trade acquisition was placed on IR.

This move will leave the Eagles with three activations on the campaign, one of which will likely be reserved for Quinn. A healthy defense will no doubt go a long way to determining whether or not Philadelphia will be able to translate one of the league’s most talented rosters into another Super Bowl title.