EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Avonte Maddox, with a black NFC East champions hat sitting backward atop his head, rubbed his chin in brief, decisive reflection.
Maddox, a former Pitt standout and second-year cornerback with the Philadelphia Eagles, has had an unusual sophomore campaign to say the least, one summed up with a cliche that still felt right.
“It's been a roller coaster, up and down,” Maddox told the Post-Gazette after Philadelphia clinched the division with Sunday's win over the New York Giants. “But at the end, it doesn't really matter. We made it to the postseason, so that's the great thing. A lot of injuries for the whole team, though. Definitely a roller coaster.”
Frankly, it's remarkable Maddox was smiling (and standing) in the Week 17 visiting locker room.
For one, the 2018 fourth-round pick wouldn't be as affable if Philadelphia wasn't playoff-bound, which is a feat in both NFC East futility and resiliency given the Eagles' persistent injury woes. Doug Pederson's side entered its win-and-in matchup with the Giants without seven Week 1 starters.
Maddox, meanwhile, was active in both Week 1 and Week 17. But those bookending starts certainly don't represent a season in which he landed on the game day injury report six times.
Maddox, often the Eagles' No. 1 slot corner, was listed as questionable (knee) ahead of Philadelphia's last two regular season games and still played. He picked up a back injury in the second quarter of the Eagles' triumph at MetLife Stadium over the weekend but is expected to be healthy enough for Sunday's wild card round against the Seattle Seahawks.
Those knocks pale in comparison, though, to the frightening helmet-to-helmet hit Maddox suffered at Lambeau Field on Sept. 26.
While covering Green Bay Packers tight end Robert Tonyan, Maddox collided with teammate Andrew Sendejo. The safety bulleted toward Tonyan, who went down to secure Aaron Rodgers' pass, leaving Maddox to take the brunt of the hit. Maddox laid flat on his back as trainers tended to him for nearly 10 minutes. Eventually, Maddox was placed on a stretcher and carted off with the entire Eagles team on the field surrounding and supporting him.
Those who saw the collision — in person, live on FOX's national broadcast or on Twitter — feared the worst.
“I was just hoping he was OK,” Pitt corner and departing senior Dane Jackson said. “I wanted to reach out as quick as possible, but something in the back of my mind told me to just wait for a minute. I'm sure his phone was blowing up like crazy with family members. I knew he was in good hands, but it was scary to see that happen to a close friend.”
“I was praying for him,” former Pitt safety Dennis Briggs added. “That guy is a trooper. He's a guy who will try to make a situation not seem as serious as it is.”
Thankfully, Maddox's injury was just a concussion and a neck injury that kept him out for a month. He returned in a reserve role against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 3 and then started against the New England Patriots in Week 11. Maddox — whose instincts guided him to 11 pass breakups, four sacks and three forced fumbles as a senior at Pitt in 2017 — showcased those skills with seven tackles, then a regular-season career high.
Maddox matched that total in Philadelphia's crucial Week 16 win over the Dallas Cowboys and was on pace to surpass it against the Giants. The Detroit native, who left the game with seven minutes to go in the second quarter and returned for only one play to start the second half, had four tackles on Sunday. Maddox also added a breakup reminiscent of the passes he defended in Pat Narduzzi's press quarters coverage.
On an island with safety help coming late, Maddox locked up Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard, ran stride for stride and batted away Daniel Jones' 30-yard throw. Maddox smiled when asked specifically about the play.
“You have a lot of confidence coming out of Pitt,” Maddox said. “A lot of press, a lot of man coverage on the outside. You get used to it when you're there.”
Maddox added that playing in Narduzzi's scheme gave him “a lot of confidence to play a lot of different positions,” which has served him well in the league. Philadelphia's typical nickel shifted to safety as a rookie when Eagles first-teamer Rodney McLeod went down, and he started on the outside Sunday with Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby out.
“He's been in games where he had to play multiple positions, and he has to know his stuff,” Eagles cornerback Rasul Douglas said, whispering as a media horde surrounded captain Malcolm Jenkins in the adjacent locker. “They put that task on him because they know he can do it, because of how he prepares and how he works every day.”
Douglas' teammates concurred. Philadelphia tight end Dallas Goedert, Maddox's roommate, called the former second-team All-ACC honoree a “junkyard dog” and a “baller.” Rookie receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside said Maddox is fun to face in practice “because you're going to get his best every time.”
Arcega-Whiteside became quick friends with Maddox after being drafted by the Eagles in the second round of the 2019 draft and arriving at the NovaCare Complex this offseason. The Stanford wideout, who caught three passes for 90 yards in the Cardinal's 2018 Sun Bowl win over Pitt ,was approached by Maddox.
“He was mad we won,” Arcega-Whiteside said with a laugh. “But I told him how challenging it was because they had great DBs and great coaching. I knew when I came here and went up against him it was going to be good work.”
That doesn't surprise Briggs or Jackson. The former called Maddox a “natural-born leader” at Pitt, someone who related to everyone on the roster and had enough credibility “where if he told you something, you couldn't say it's BS.” And the latter, an incoming freshman when Maddox was a sophomore, said the corner welcomed him to Pitt “like a brother” and imparted every bit of wisdom he had over the three years they were together.
Jackson and Maddox still stay in constant contact, too. Maddox hasn't been back to Pitt since leaving in 2017, but he keeps tabs on the Panthers.
“The defense was definitely lit at Pitt,” Maddox said, nodding his head when asked about the 2019 unit. “That defensive line, giving the quarterback all that pass rush. On the back end, you had Diddy (Paris Ford) playing well. Then you already know we've got Dane, Damar [Hamlin] and Damarri [Mathis].”
Of course, the 2020 Panthers will be without Jackson and Hamlin, if his petition for a fifth year of eligibility is denied. But Maddox is looking forward to both making it in the NFL. For Jackson, seeing Maddox succeed with the Eagles (as a fourth-round pick, no less) gives him hope he can do the same whenever he hears his name called in April's 2020 NFL draft.
In the meantime, Jackson wants Maddox to keep persevering through an injury-plagued season and play deep into the playoffs. Briggs prays for the same.
"For this to happen to one of my best friends, I mean, the guy deserves it," Briggs said. "He works for it. He had a positive impact on the people around him. And he's a guy who's going to do right with his opportunity."
John McGonigal: jmcgonigal@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jmcgonigal9
First Published: January 2, 2020, 11:00 a.m.