The Philadelphia Eagels are losing yet another veteran from their secondary to NFL free agency.
According to the Inquirer's Jeff McLane , the Detroit Lions have signed defensive back Avonte Maddox.
"DB Avonte Maddox signed a one-year contract with the Lions, per his agent Jason Chayut. Maddox leaves the #Eagles after seven seasons," McLane writes.
Maddox, a former fourth-round pick by the Eagles in the 2018 NFL Draft leaves Philly after racking up 270 tackles, four interceptions, three sacks, 36 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery through 81 regular season games.
Maddox's 2024 and final season with the Birds was far from his best considering he was ultimately benched in favor of rookie Cooper DeJean following team's bye week after he gave up 10 catches on 19 targets for a total of 115 yards through the first four games of the season.
Maddox did make up for his loses backing up DeJean and finished the year with 20 total tackles (nine solo) while also adding five passes defended.
He joins veteran cornerbacks Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who have signed with other teams in NFL free agency. The Eagles also released cornerback James Bradberry.
The Eagles secondary looks even younger than before now, however, they did recently sign cornerback Adoree Jackson, who brings some veteran experience to the table.
Who Will Take Maddox's Spot Now?
And as far as who takes Maddox's spot backup up DeJean, the Eagles currently have Parry Nickerson and A.J. Woods.
Nickerson, 29, joined the Eagles roster last offseason.
Before coming to Philly, the former New York Jets’ sixth-round pick out of Tulane back in 2018 had previous stops with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings in his career.
While he is older, Nickerson does not have much real game experience under his belt other than on special teams.
As for Woods, he went undrafted out of Pitt last spring and has not played in an NFL game.
That said, one can expect Philly to make a move, either early in the upcoming draft or sign another free agent with more experience at the positon.
