The Philadelphia Eagles cannot catch a break in terms of injuries, as it seems things continue to go wrong for them. Defensive back Avonte Maddox left Thursday’s Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings with a pectoral injury, but news has come out about the severity of the injury.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Maddox will have surgery sometime this week to repair a torn pectoral muscle. This injury does not have a timetable for recovery, and this ending of his season is not off the table right now.
#Eagles DB Avonte Maddox will have surgery this week to repair a torn pec, sources say after an MRI and additional opinions. The injury will keep him out indefinitely, potentially for the season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 18, 2023
This is not the first major injury on the defensive side of the football this season for the Eagles as middle linebacker Nakobe Dean was placed on Injured Reserve before Week 2. The Eagles also have some issues with the secondary as cornerback James Bradberry (concussion) and safety Reed Blankenship (ribs) missed the Vikings game as well.
How significant of a loss is Avonte Maddox for this Philadelphia Eagles team?
This is going to be a tough loss for the Eagles, as being a starting nickleback is a significant part of the team. Maddox is under contract next season for $6.85 million for the final season of his contract extension, and this will be a tough loss.
It is expected to see Mario Goodrich take his spot in defensive substitutions using the nickel cornerback, but this secondary has struggled a bit this season. The pass defense needs to figure things out, as they are giving up 340 passing yards per game thus far.
Without Avonte Maddox, the defense has to figure out a lot of things as their secondary specifically is weakened. They lost CJ Gardner-Johnson to free agency in the offseason and are hoping for positive updates on both Reed Blankenship and James Bradberry to help the Eagles secondary to manage going forward.
The Eagles next play on Monday night on the road for Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Baker Mayfield has been passing the ball extremely well to begin the season. This will be a tough test going forward for the reigning NFC Champions.
Follow me for more college and NFL updates on Twitter @TalkVinTalk.
