Cornerback predicted as Eagles biggest bust of 2024 NFL season

Heading into this offseason, cornerback position was marked as an area that needed improvement for the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia had one of the worst passing defenses in the entire NFL in 2023, and poor play at the CB spot was a big part of the reason why.

The Eagles were proactive in the name of improvement, as the team used its first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft on corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both of those additions should help to solidify the secondary, but there are still some questions and concerns, especially when it comes to veteran corner Avante Maddox.

Maddox is entering his seventh season with the Eagles, and while he has been decent when he's been out on the field, injury issues have really limited him in recent years. He appeared in just 13 total games over the past two seasons for Philadelphia, and at 28 years old it's fair to wonder how his health will hold up moving forward.

As a result, Maddox was recently predicted by Bleacher Report to be Philadelphia's biggest bust of the 2024 season. Here's the rationale that was provided by the outlet:

"The bright side, so to say, is Philly bolstered the position with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the draft. Their additions put extra pressure on Avonte Maddox, who's performed well when healthy over the last two years—yet only played 13 games in that stretch. Maddox can start, but he'll be held to an even higher standard with such promising rookies ready to swipe some important snaps."

A make-or-break season for Maddox?

The 2024 season will be an important one for Maddox to show that he can still be a key contributor to Philadelphia's secondary, and he's been doing everything in his power to put himself in position to stay healthy over the course of the campaign.

“Yeah that’s definitely a mental thing (with) a great amount of injuries so I've been working this offseason on attacking my body, making sure I come back as healthy as possible," Maddox said earlier this offseason. “Just getting stronger, lifting heavier and doing all the little things, running more, and doing all the little things that can get the tweaks out of the areas that are weak. I feel like that could have been a reason for the injuries. So eating better, sleeping more. I'm doing all the little things that I can.”

With the additions that the Eagles made to the secondary, Maddox could have a Swiss army knife-type role in 2024, as he could potentially spend time at cornerback, nickelback and even some safety. Whatever the Eagles ask of him, Maddox plans to be prepared.

"I'm definitely comfortable and definitely confident," Maddox said. "I know all the calls, I know what to do, I know what to say, I know where everybody's at on the field.”

Hopefully Maddox is able to stay healthy and prove that he can still be a productive player for the Eagles in 2024.