Off injured reserve, Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox will practice on Thursday

Maddox missed four games with a hamstring injury. He could be back in the lineup against the Giants.

Eagles cornerback Avonte Maddox before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lincoln Financial Field on Oct. 30. He was injured in the win over the Texans on Nov. 3 and placed on IR shortly thereafter.Read moreMonica Herndon / Staff Photographer

Published Dec. 7, 2022, 11:13 a.m. ET

Avonte Maddox has spent the last month calling out Eagles coverages from his couch.

The Eagles starting slot cornerback is on the mend from a hamstring injury suffered in early November but got his first chance to rejoin the team on Wednesday after the Eagles opened the 21-day practice window for him to return.

Maddox went through the team’s scheduled walk-through and expects to participate in the first practice session of the week on Thursday. Whether he gets activated to the 53-man roster before Sunday’s road game against the New York Giants, though, is yet to be determined.

“We’re hopeful for Avonte this week, but we’ll see how it goes,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Wednesday. “Today is a walk-through. Tomorrow will be a big test. I’m just happy that we got him back out there practicing right now; we’ll take it one day at a time.”

Maddox said he felt a pop in his hamstring late in the team’s win against the Houston Texans on Nov. 3. He went on injured reserve the day before the Eagles faced the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football and is eligible to return this weekend after missing the four games required of players stashed on the injury list.

The 26-year-old said he watched the team’s road game against the Indianapolis Colts from his living room, often explaining the Eagles’ defensive calls to family members.

“It’s definitely a different feeling watching it from home,” Maddox said. “It’s nothing like courtside seats when you’re on the sideline watching it and you’re engaged.”

Maddox is anxious to put the days of watching behind him but suggested he’ll be able to better gauge his readiness after testing his hamstring out in practice.

“I have done some running,” Maddox said. “I feel a little confident in it. As long as I feel confident and I feel good about it, I’ll be out there.”

Maddox acknowledged he will have to manage the hamstring for the rest of the season, but he doesn’t think it will hinder him once he gets back into game action.

“I just go out there and play,” said Maddox, a fourth-round pick in 2018. “I’m going to make sure I feel comfortable, of course, but I’m not thinking about that when I’m on the field. When I’m on the field, I’m thinking about my job, what I’ve got to do, and what ways I can make sure I’m doing it at a high level. If it happens, it happens. That’s just how it is.”

Josiah Scott has filled in for Maddox over the last four games and has played reasonably well. Scott, 23, had an interception against the Green Bay Packers and has six pass breakups this season.

Maddox’s return will still be significant for an Eagles secondary that also is missing starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson as he recovers from a lacerated kidney. Gardner-Johnson was placed on IR before the Titans game, so he has to miss at least three more weeks.

“[Maddox] is a big-time slot in this league,” Sirianni said. “When he’s ready to go, we’re going to be excited to get him back out there. Josiah has done a nice job of filling in for him. He’s made some nice plays.”