Avonte Maddox healed faster than he expected, but his status is still uncertain vs. Giants

When slot cornerback Avonte Maddox initially went down with a torn pectoral muscle in his chest in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, he wasn’t so sure that a return this season could be a possibility.

However, fast forward more than three months, the Eagles opened Maddox’s 21-day practice window on Thursday and the six-year veteran is making a push to return before the end of the regular season. Maddox was a full participant in practice for a second straight day on Friday.

“It takes a long time to heal, so I did think it was over,” Maddox said. “But we all got different bodies and we all heal differently.”

Maddox, evidently, has healed faster than his initial expectation. But while his full participation is an indication that he’s getting closer to full health, it’s not necessarily a guarantee that he will play on Monday in the Eagles’ Christmas day matchup against the New York Giants. Maddox said on Friday that he doesn’t know “what’s going on this week” as far as his game status is concerned, so he’s “taking it day by day.”

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Last month, Maddox said that it became apparent that he could make a return to action before the end of the regular season. He explained that he started to get stronger at that point, especially when he was able to shed the sling that he wore on his left arm.

“Once I got out the sling, it’s kind of almost to the point where like, ‘Oh, I feel like I can play,’” Maddox said. “But at the same time, I knew it was still weak.

“And then once I got in [the weight room] and started doing all my normal things that I usually bench press and things like that, I was doing it with my left arm, I figured that my strength, I’ve just got to get it back to not exactly the same as my right, but close to it and I’d be able to compete.”

The 27-year-old slot cornerback has been no stranger to injury over the last two seasons. In Week 9 last season, Maddox was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and missed four games. He returned for a few games, but he was sidelined for the remainder of the regular season with a turf toe injury in late December.

Maddox eventually returned to action in the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers. Dealing with various injuries over the last couple of seasons has been both a physical and a mental challenge, Maddox admitted.

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“Injuries happen,” Maddox said. “But these are my first two serious, serious injuries other than, I don’t know what year it was with my neck. Like having [toe] surgery was my first surgery, and I had surgery twice in one year. So that was kind of tough on me.

“But other than that, just kind of attacking every day and making sure you do the things that get me right and put me back on the field.”

Whether Maddox returns to action on Monday or in either of the Eagles’ final two games of the season against the Arizona Cardinals and the Giants again, he said he’s looking forward to getting back on the field with his teammates.

“The best feeling in the world,” Maddox said. “I don’t know. I love playing the game. I respect the game. I love playing with them guys. And when I’m out there on the field, I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else then there. So anytime I can step back on the field, it’d be a big smile on my face.”

The Eagles host the New York Giants on Monday. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and Jeff McLane as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.