It looked for a moment like defensive tackle Fletcher Cox might be leaving the Eagles this offseason.
Cox was released so the team could avoid an $18 million guarantee for the 2022 season and he heard from other teams, but wound up back with the Eagles on a one-year, $14 million deal a few days later. The one-year deal offers no security beyond this season and the Eagles drafted defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the first round of this year’s draft, so some might wonder if Cox feels like he has something extra to prove to the team this season.
His answer was that he’s still approaching things the same way as he has throughout his decade in Philly.
“There’s no extra pressure on me,” Cox said, via EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I still train the way I train in the offseason. I still carry myself the same way. I’ve been here for 10 years. The team knows what to expect. They know I’m a hard worker; they know I’m a leader. They know I’m going to show up on Sundays. . . . I don’t get too much into the one-year deal thing.”
The prospect of Davis moving into the lead role on the interior of the defensive line hasn’t stopped Cox from playing mentor either. Cox said that he’s “trying to teach him to be a pro, how to practice, and how to handle certain situations” and the Eagles will be grateful if that helps turn Davis into the kind of player that Cox has been throughout his Eagles tenure.
