The Philadelphia Eagles will have several intriguing position battles go on during this virtual offseason, but none more important than who will play cornerback opposite Darius Slay.
When the Eagles acquired Slay from the Detroit Lions, it finally secured Jim Schwartz a lockdown caliber defender capable of stifling a teams’ number one wideout. That acquisition will all be for naught if the Eagles can’t get consistent play at cornerback opposite Slay.
In a projection of starting lineups for all 32 NFL teams by Pro Football Focus, Avonte Maddox vs. Sidney Jones at cornerback has been named the battle to watch.
Battle to watch: Avonte Maddox vs. Sidney Jones at outside cornerback
The Eagles put in work in their secondary this offseason, bringing in several high-level players like Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman, along with a draft prospect PFF liked in K’Von Wallace. Their second outside cornerback spot is still a little up in the air, though, with the two major players being Maddox and Jones. Maddox has the edge in experience (1,248 defensive snaps compared to Jones’ 643) and has graded out slightly better (55.9 compared to Jones’ 53.0). That should give him the leg up in the competition.
Maddox was previously the starter in the slot but with the addition of Will Parks, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and Cre’Von LeBlanc returning, Jim Schwartz may have different ideas about the outside.
Maddox will likely get the nod, but the Eagles desperately want Jones to come out the winner despite no public acknowledgment of such a claim. The former second-round pick, Jones has all the skills and just needs to confidently put it all together.
