Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford got back to work on Monday after a brief and ill-considered absence. That leaves just one Eagle skipping offseason work: defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.
Cox may be an even more important part of the Eagles than Bradford, so it’s a little surprising that his absence from offseason work hasn’t received more attention. The difference is that Bradford and his agent publicly tried to get him a ticket out of Philadelphia, while Cox hasn’t said anything.
Workouts at this time of year are voluntary, so Cox isn’t doing anything wrong by failing to show up. But teams prefer to have everyone there, and would especially prefer to have someone as important to the defense as Cox there.
Cox is in his fifth-year option season as the Eagles’ 2012 first-round draft pick, meaning he’ll make $7.8 million this year and then hit free agency next year. Perhaps Cox is unhappy with the progress (or lack thereof) toward a long-term contract extension. Eagles coach Doug Pederson has previously said he didn’t know whether the contract was the reason Cox was skipping voluntary work. It’s not a great sign about the level of communication between player and coach when a player isn’t showing up and the coach doesn’t know why.
Presumably, Cox will be there when mandatory work begins. But now, he’s staying away while everyone else -- even Bradford -- is working.
