The one Eagles veteran who might have more left than you realize

[time2rock]

The one Eagles veteran who might have more left than you realize

It would be a mistake to assume Cox is washed up

By Reuben Frank, Eagles Insider

What if I told you the Eagles could get a veteran defensive tackle who was ninth among interior linemen in sacks last year and fifth among NFC interior linemen in snaps, who was one of only 11 defensive tackles to play at least 45 percent of the snaps in every one of his team’s games and who hasn’t missed a game because of injury in more than a decade.

And who was second last year to Chris Jones among defensive tackles with 14 hurries, fifth among pressures, 13th among QB knockdowns.

Who’s made six Pro Bowls, has the third-most sacks of any active interior lineman, who’s one of only two current NFC defensive tackles (along with Aaron Donald) to start multiple Super Bowls.

As you might have surmised by now, the Eagles already have that player, and his name is Fletcher Cox.

There’s a perception that Cox is over the hill, can’t play anymore, wasn’t worth what the Eagles paid him last year, a shadow of his former self.

And some of that is true. 

He’s not the player he once was. Fletcher Cox from 2015 through 2020 was the consensus second-best interior lineman in football, behind only Donald. He was a beast against the run, a constant threat collapsing the pocket, a one-man wrecking crew who could play inside or out, on any down and distance, and at times was simply unblockable.

And the $14 million the Eagles paid him last year? Yeah, that was too much.

Cox isn’t the Fletcher Cox of a few years ago, but it’s a big mistake to equate a player who has declined with a player who isn’t any good. My Eagle Eye colleague Dave Zangaro compares where Cox is now to where Jason Peters was around 2018 and 2019. He clearly wasn’t the player he once was, but he was still better than most, and we undervalued him because he was no longer the J.P. of old.

The problem is players like Cox and Peters have been so dang good for so dang long that it’s kind of jarring when they start playing like mere mortals. But there’s a lot of room between washed up and All-Pro. And the Fletcher Cox we saw last year was still effective, still productive, still consistent and still a key member of a Super Bowl defense.

If anything, he reversed the decline we saw from 2020 to 2021 and showed he can still be a functional piece on an elite defense.

Javon Hargrave had such a monster season last year he got himself a four-year, $84 million contract from the 49ers.

I’m not going to tell you Cox was as good as Hargrave in 2022 because he wasn’t. Hargrave had four more sacks (11 to 7), but Cox had seven more hurries (9 to 2), seven more pressures (25 to 18), three more QB knockdowns (8 to 5) and played one more snap. And was significantly better against the run.

This isn’t a knock on Hargrave. He’s really good. Just pointing out how well Cox played in Year 11. And Hargrave is only two years younger. So he’ll be as old as Cox is now when he’s in the third year of this contract.

The Eagles are loaded up front in the defensive interior with the two Georgia kids, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, Milton Williams and Cox. 

And it is possible that Cox runs out of steam this fall. Happens to everybody at some point. But he didn't show any sign of that last year, and barring a significant drop-off this year he's going to be a big part of this defense.

Cox led the Eagles interior linemen in snaps last year with 42 per game, and don’t be shocked if he’s right around where Davis and Carter are by the time the season is over.

Cox is a victim of his own past greatness. He’ll never be that Fletch again. But the reality is that a decent 32-year-old Fletcher Cox is better than no Fletcher Cox at all.

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/why-its-mistake-to-assume-fletcher-cox-is-washed-up/519665/

[brkmsn]

The problem in the NFL is contract size. When players are younger, they make much less money. Then free agency drives up the price. Every year the bar gets raised. So fans try to compare what they saw for the cheaper price with what they see on these much higher deals. Honestly, 32 isn't really all that "old."

Fans also get into this misconception that performance only continues downward once a lesser season is on the books. 

Fletcher Cox could be just what people expect him to be at 32 ... or he could still surprise and put together one of his best seasons. 

[eggs]

He does seem to be less productive these days late in the season and the playoffs. Despite what this article says, I’d like to see him play a lot less snaps this year so he is fresh when he plays and doesn’t have a drop off in the playoffs. 

[time2rock]

On 6/24/2023 at 6:54 PM, brkmsn said:

The problem in the NFL is contract size. When players are younger, they make much less money. Then free agency drives up the price. Every year the bar gets raised. So fans try to compare what they saw for the cheaper price with what they see on these much higher deals. Honestly, 32 isn't really all that "old."

Fans also get into this misconception that performance only continues downward once a lesser season is on the books. 

Fletcher Cox could be just what people expect him to be at 32 ... or he could still surprise and put together one of his best seasons. 

Reducing his snap count would likely help toward that end in much the same way it did for BG last year.