Jim Schwartz praises rookie cornerback Avonte Maddox

It looks like Jim Schwartz has found a new favorite player on his defense with rookie cornerback, Avonte Maddox.

The Philadelphia Eagles finally got a throwback performance from their defense this past weekend. Last season, the Eagles had the perfect formula to slowing up offenses. Dial up a ton of pressure on the quarterback, and force bad throws, so the secondary has a better chance of making a play. The Eagles struggled to do that this year consistently, but this past Sunday night we finally witnessed a complete game filled with sacks, pass deflections, and turnovers.

You know what was really great about that performance? It was against one of the most productive offenses in the NFL. And along with winning the game, the Eagles can now feel extremely confident in one of their young guys. Every year, it seems like there is always a young player, who wasn’t a high-priority pick but sure does perform like one. Last year, it was Corey Clement on the offense. This year, it’s Avonte Maddox on the defense.

Maddox might’ve missed some time due to an injury (I mean, who hasn’t?), but whenever he is healthy and in the game he has some significant contributions. Earlier in the year, Maddox was asked to play safety for the first time in his career, and he played it pretty well.

Despite being a nickel cornerback in college and during the offseason, the Eagles had no other choice but to throw Maddox on the outside this past weekend. And go figure, Maddox made Jared Goff’s game a nightmare while he was throwing in the rookie’s direction. Now, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz cannot stop praising Maddox this week.

Schwartz is Maddox’s best hypeman

For the first three minutes of his Tuesday morning press conference, Jim Schwartz continuously talked about Maddox’s performance on Sunday. “I don’t know if we win that game without Avonte, He’s multi-dimensional, his best position is all positions, he’s Johnny on the Spot.”

Okay, you get the point. Jim Schwartz loves Avonte Maddox, as he should. We should all know by now that Schwartz is a big fan of cornerback’s who are willing to play multiple positions. Just take a look at how he uses Malcolm Jenkins, who was strictly a cornerback once upon a time.

Also, we have to mention that Jalen Mills’ willingness to play anywhere in the secondary during his combine meeting with the Eagles really drew in Schwartz as well. And it’s no secret that before, Mills was the favorite player in the secondary. But now Mills may need to move over because it sounds like Jimmy Schwartz has a new favorite. His name is Avonte Maddox.