Philadelphia Eagles

Jordan Matthews calls Byron Maxwell the best CB he has faced

Published Jun. 3, 2015 3:12 p.m. ET

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Cornerback Byron Maxwell made headlines last week with his bold statement that the Philadelphia Eagles would be playing in Super Bowl 50. Maxwell's name has once again surfaced as a headline, but this time it's not his words that are being quoted. Teammate and wide receiver Jordan Matthews made an interesting claim about Maxwell after evaluating all of the different cornerbacks he had the chance to match up against in his rookie season in 2014.

"I know, for me, he's been kicking my butt out here, it's great to be able to compete against him," Matthews told Corey Seidman of CSN Philly. "Last year, if anybody asked me who was the hardest corner I went against, easily, easily 41 from the Seahawks. And then I turn on my TV and he's on my team. It doesn't get much better than that when it comes to competition."

Matthews has had the luxury of seeing Maxwell showcase his skills during the Eagles' OTA practices the last two weeks. However, Matthews continues to see most of his snaps in the slot with wide receivers Josh Huff and Riley Cooper manning the outside spots. The Eagles plan to use Maxwell as an outside cornerback in 2014, even in nickel situations.

Matthews' claim might be a bit of an exaggeration, if you go by the numbers at least. Maxwell graded out as Pro Football Focus' 45th-best cornerback out of 108 qualifiers who played at least 25 percent of their defense's snaps. He allowed 63.4 percent of passes he was targeted on to be completed--a number much greater than that from any of the top cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus. Having said that, Maxwell is a perfect fit for Bill Davis' scheme on the outside and there is plenty of room for growth with his new team.

(h/t CSN Philly)

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