Avonte Maddox "Super Excited" to Return, and That Could Happen vs. Giants
PHILADELPHIA – The last time anyone saw Avonte Maddox on the field, he was leaving it clutching the back of his leg late in the Eagles' win in Houston on Nov. 3.
Maddox was back in the Eagles’ locker room on Wednesday after the Eagles opened the slot cornerback’s 21-day practice window to return from Injured Reserve.
“You look different,” kidded one reporter. “We haven’t seen you in like a month.”
“How do I look different, an inch taller maybe?” the always good-natured Maddox joked.
Maddox, of course, packs plenty of punch and talent into his 5-9 frame and is one of the top slots CBs in the league.
His presence makes a difference, though Maddox said that he loved what he saw from Josiah Scott during his absence, as the Eagles went 3-1.
“When I left, he picked it right up,” said Maddox. “I always knew he could do it. I see him at practice every day. He’s a fighter. When Josiah comes in, it’s kind of like it’s me. I love watching him play.”
Maddox hopes to return against the New York Giants on Sunday.
The Eagles have an open roster spot waiting for him after a flurry of moves made on Tuesday.
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He said he never had a hamstring injury before, but felt a little pop. Because hamstring injuries can be tricky to heal, the Eagles felt it best to shut him down to rather than rush him back.
Whether or not the hamstring he injured while filling in for Josh Jobe on the punt team against the Texans allows him is still to be determined.
“It’s a day-by-day thing,” he said. “I just got activated (Wednesday), so I haven’t practiced yet, so I don’t know how I’ll feel from that standpoint of reacting. It’s totally different from going out there and running and break when they want you to break. I feel after practicing I’ll have a better understanding.”
The Eagles had a walkthrough on Wednesday so Thursday and Friday will be big days for Maddox as he looks to get fully cleared.
“Just lining up against someone and being able to react and run when you don’t know what’s going to be given to you like an individual drill,” he said. “That’s when you figure out when you’re ready to play. For the most part, I feel good running just periods, so I’m just waiting on the reacting part.”
Maddox, though, is “super excited” to return whether it’s Sunday or the following week in Chicago.
“I was ready to do something crazy,” he joked, “when I wasn’t playing, sitting on my couch.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
