Avonte Maddox - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles CB Cre’Von LeBlanc On Roster Bubble

June 20th, 2019 at 6:57pm CST by Rory Parks

Eagles cornerback Cre’Von LeBlanc was a pleasant surprise for the Eagles down the stretch last season, starting four games (plus a postseason contest) and providing generally strong play in the slot. Considering Philadelphia plucked LeBlanc off the waiver wire in November, the club couldn’t have asked for much more.

However, LeBlanc is not a lock to make the team, as Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia suggests. Even with Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills absent, LeBlanc has been relegated to the second team and is currently the sixth CB on the depth chart, which puts him firmly on the roster bubble.

Part of the reason for LeBlanc’s demotion has been the emergence of second-year player Avonte Maddox. Zangaro notes that Maddox, whom Pro Football Focus graded as a middling-at-best performer in his rookie campaign, has excelled both in the slot and outside the numbers and is making a case for significant playing time. He did start nine games last season, and the 2018 fourth-rounder appears to have made some strides.

Of course, given the recent injury histories of Darby, Mills, and Sidney Jones, LeBlanc still stands a very good chance of seeing the field. But if the unit remains healthy, he could be looking for a new club this summer. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020, so if he can earn playing time somewhere and build on his 2018 performance, he could be in for a nice payday.

Latest On Eagles’ Cornerbacks

November 23rd, 2018 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles secondary is beyond banged up. As the team gears up for Sunday’s game against the Giants, Chandon Sullivan, Cre’Von LeBlanc, and DeVante Bausby stand as the team’s only healthy cornerbacks, head coach Doug Pederson says.

Jalen Mills, Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox, and Sidney Jones were unable to take the practice field on Friday. It’s a terrible spot for the Eagles to be in after losing star Ronald Darby to a torn ACL.

To fill the gap, the Eagles have employed reserve wide receivers as cornerbacks in practice. That won’t fly in a real game, so the Eagles may have to make a move or two in the next couple of days. Practice squad defensive back Jeremiah McKinnon may be a leading candidate for promotion, but no decision has been made on that front just yet.

At 4-6, the Eagles are fighting for their playoff lives on Sunday. The Giants have been largely atrocious this year, but they’re riding a two-game winning streak and they’ll be motivated to spoil the Eagles’ season.

Eagles CBs Maddox, Douglas Suffer Injuries

November 20th, 2018 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles’ secondary continues to be hit hard by injuries. Cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Rasul Douglas both suffered knee injuries in Sunday’s 48-7 loss to the Saints, but as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the maladies are not as bad as initially feared.

The exact nature of Maddox’s injury is not immediately clear, but it is not believed to be a season ender. Instead, he is week-to-week, and Douglas is presumably in the same boat after his knee injury was deemed to be only a sprain.

In any event, the Eagles can ill afford more injuries in the secondary. The Eagles just lost star corner Ronald Darby for the season and Jalen Mills has missed the last two games with a foot injury. Mills’ status for Sunday against the Giants is murky and the same goes for Sidney Jones after he tweaked his hamstring, so the Eagles could be forced to draw from a group led by Chandon Sullivan, Cre’Von LeBlanc, and De’Vante Bausby.

No matter how things shake out, it stands to reason that the Eagles will sign at least one new corner this week.

Eagles Sign Entire Draft Class

May 9th, 2018 at 4:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have wrapped up their entire draft class, the team announced. The following rookies are now officially under contract with the defending champs:

2-49: Dallas Goedert, TE (South Dakota State)
4-125: Avonte Maddox, CB (Pittsburgh)
4-130: Josh Sweat, DE (Florida State)
6-206: Matt Pryor, T (TCU)
7-233: Jordan Mailata, T (Australia)

Goedert was the Eagles’ top pick in this year’s class after they shipped their No. 32 overall pick and a fourth-round choice (No. 132) to the Ravens for a second-rounder (No. 52), fourth-rounder (No. 125) and a second-round pick in 2019. The Ravens used the final pick in the first round on Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Eagles, meanwhile, moved up from No. 52 to No 49 in a deal with the Cowboys to land Goedert.

Goedert was regarded by some as the best tight end in this year’s class, but South Carolina’s Hayden Hurst (No. 25, Ravens) and Penn State’s Mike Gesicki (No. 42, Dolphins), both went ahead of him. The South Dakota State star is now out to prove that he can dominate at a much higher level of competition. Last year, he tallied 92 receptions for 1,293 yards and eleven touchdowns.

Maddox may have a chance to contribute right off the bat following the departure of cornerback Patrick Robinson. Although he is undersized at 5’9″, evaluators say that he plays with the toughness necessary to succeed in the NFL.

Sweat, meanwhile, offers serious potential with a 4.53 second 40-yard-dash time and a track record of serious pass rushing ability. Although he tallied 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last year, some teams were warded off by the injuries that sidelined him in high school and in the 2016 season.