Eagles lose starting CB to potential season-ending surgery

The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the 2023 season 100% healthy but that's now changed heading into Week 3. The Eagles first lost starting linebacker Nakobe Dean to injured reserve with a foot injury last week and now they'll lose starting cornerback Avonte Maddox. It was reported Monday morning by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that Maddox […]

Kelsey Kramer — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 19, 2023 9:54 AM EDT

Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox — Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the 2023 season 100% healthy but that's now changed heading into Week 3.

The Eagles first lost starting linebacker Nakobe Dean to injured reserve with a foot injury last week and now they'll lose starting cornerback Avonte Maddox.

It was reported Monday morning by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that Maddox will undergo surgery for a torn pectoral suffered during the Eagles' Thursday night win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Maddox will be out indefinitely and possibly for the rest of the season, per Rapoport.

“Are we going to miss Avonte? Of course we are,” head coach Nick Sirianni said during Monday's presser. “He's a great football player who has made a lot of plays here. I thought he was playing really good football, really being aggressive. He caused that fumble and then made some really good plays on the perimeter.

“So, we'll miss his contributions as a teammate and on the field. But we like some of our options."

Maddox's career has been riddled with injuries but when he's healthy, he's a big part of the Eagles' secondary, registering 31 career pass deflections as the team's top slot corner.

Before his injury, Maddox had logged eight tackles and a forced fumble through two games.

With Maddox out, the Eagles turned to undrafted free agent Mario Goodrich, whom they feel confident with moving forward.

"We feel like we have good options in-house to be able to move forward,” Sirianni added. “That’s why we cross-train people, whether that's a corner, a safety, whether that's the guys that play nickel."

The Eagles' secondary has also been without starting safety Reed Blankenship (ribs) and starting cornerback James Bradberry (concussion).

Sirianni could not specifically comment on Bradberry's concussion but said he felt "everyone has a chance to play this week against Tampa" come Monday night.