Eagles defensive back Avonte Maddox suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter on Thursday night and has been downgraded to out.
Maddox got hurt making a tackle on running back Alexander Mattison.
This injury to Maddox is even harder to swallow because the Eagles came into this game without CB James Bradberry (concussion) and S Reed Blankenship (ribs), who were both injured in Week 1 in New England. So now the Eagles are down three players in their secondary as well as starting MIKE linebacker Nakobe Dean (foot), who is on Injured Reserve.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Maddox, 27, began this game as a safety in the Eagles’ base defense and rotated down to nickel corner in sub packages. So losing him is a big deal. Second-year corner Mario Goodrich replaced Maddox as the nickel cornerback. The Eagles’ safeties are Justin Evans, Terrell Edmunds and rookie Sydney Brown, who got his first defensive snaps of his career in this game.
Last season, Maddox missed eight games with three different injuries. He has been a fantastic player at times in his career but injuries have become an issue.
Meanwhile, receiver Quez Watkins left in the first half with a hamstring injury. He was also downgraded to out after initially being listed as questionable to return. Without Watkins, the Eagles are playing Olamide Zaccheaus as their slot receiver.