Avonte Maddox has the Lions logo tattooed on his arm. Now the Lions have him on their roster.
The veteran cornerback and Detroit native who used to message Darius Slay for advice as a rising star at Martin Luther King High School and later at Pittsburgh is coming home after signing a one-year deal with the Lions, per reports.
Maddox, who spent the first seven years of his career with the Eagles, will add to the Lions' growing depth at corner, where the team has also signed DJ Reed, Rock-Ya Sin and re-signed Khalil Dorsey this offseason, while letting Carlton Davis III and Kindle Vildor walk as free agents.
Maddox played in all 17 games for the Super Bowl-champion Eagles last season, plus all four of their playoff games. He tallied five passes defended and 20 tackles, while allowing a passer rating in coverage of 78.6, per Pro Football Focus. The vast majority of his defensive snaps came in the slot.
Maddox was mostly a nickel in Philadelphia. Should the Lions use him the same way, he'll likely compete for playing time this year with veteran Amik Robertson and Detroit's second-round pick last year Ennis Rakestraw Jr.
The Lions also bring back last year's first-round pick Terrion Arnold, who will start on the outside opposite Reed.
After seeing the team's cornerbacks room crushed by injuries the last two years, GM Brad Holmes is clearly making depth at the position a priority. Davis III, Robertson and Rakestraw ended last season on the shelf, but the latter two are expected to play big roles in 2025.