Getty William Jackson III worked out for the Eagles.
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed cornerback Tiawan Mullen to the practice squad, the team announced on September 19. Mullen had a brief stint on the team’s PS from August 31 until September 4.
Additionally, Philadelphia brought veteran cornerback William Jackson III in for a workout, also taking a look at defensive backs E.J. Jenkins, John Kelly, Bryant Koback, Isaiah Moore and Elerson Smith, as first reported by Aaron Wilson.
Jackson, a 2017 first-round pick for the Cincinnati Bengals (24th overall) is easily the most noteworthy and intriguing of the bunch. More on him in a minute.
After starting the game at nickelback, Avonte Maddox tore his pectoral muscle in the Eagles’ 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings Week 2. With the injury likely a season-ending one, it’s no surprise the team is looking at available corners who can play in the slot.
William Jackson III Has 64 Starts in His 6 Seasons
Sources: Former #Commanders CB William Jackson III is working out for the #Eagles today.
Jackson’s a sub-4.4 corner who I’m told is fully healthy after enduring a bulging disk in his back last season.
Jackson spent his first four years with the Bengals before heading to Washington to play for the Commanders in 2021 and for part of the 2022 season. He played four games in Washington last year before getting traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. A back injury kept him from getting back on the field, however, and he was ultimately released by Pittsburgh after the season concluded.
Over his six seasons in the NFL, the 30-year-old corner has played in 75 games (64 starts) and has accumulated 205 total tackles (six for loss), 1.0 sacks, 51 pass breakups, 5.0 interceptions and a defensive touchdown. In the four games he started in 2022, Jackson finished with 16 tackles (one for loss) and two pass breakups.
He is more experienced on the outside, but he has played 203 snaps in the slot, so he has the versatility Philly covets. The 6-foot, 196-pound veteran says he is fully recovered from the back injury that kept him out for the majority of last season, and if Philadelphia liked what it saw, he could be a practice squad addition soon with a move up to the active roster a definite possibility.
What Does Eagles Depth in the Slot Look Like?
Maddox, who signed a three-year, $22.5 million contract extension with the Eagles in November of 2021, will surely be missed. With Zech McPhearson, Philadelphia’s other slot corner, also out for the year with an Achilles injury, Philly is extremely thin at the position.
The Eagles have Mario Goodrich, who spent the 2022 season on the team’s practice squad, listed behind Maddox on the depth chart, and that’s it.
“We feel like we have good options in-house to be able to move forward,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, per the team’s official website. “That’s why we cross-train people, whether that’s a corner, whether that’s a safety, whether that’s the guys that play nickel. So, we feel like we have good options there.”
Still, the team may do some shuffling at the position, at least for it’s Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night.
The #Eagles #Buccaneers matchup is the only #NFL matchup between 2-0 teams this week.
“Are we going to miss Avonte? Of course we are,” Sirianni added. “He’s a great football player who has made a lot of plays here. I thought he was playing really good football, really being aggressive. … We’ll miss his contributions both as a teammate and on the field. We like some of our options.”
One of those options would be to move All-Pro cover corner James Bradberry to the nickel, which would likely leave Josh Jobe opposite Darius Slay as the team’s cover corners. The Bucs have two stellar wide receivers in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, so Philly had better have a solid plan.
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Eagles Sign CB, Work Out Former First-Round Pick After Avonte Maddox Injury