Eagles Still Need Fletcher Cox
Yes, Fletcher Cox's numbers have declined in recent seasons and he's not the player he once was, but the veteran remains of vital importance to the Eagles' defense and its ability to move forward in the 2022 season.
The machinations surrounding Cox's contract that started Thursday were triggered by a guarantee (believed to be $16 to $18 million) that was due.
Set to turn 32 during this season, Philadelphia wasn't comfortable with that number for Cox and the calculated gamble was made to release the veteran with the intent of eating some dead money and making a market correction on an over-leveraged deal that had been restructured to the hilt.
In fact, Cox's contract has so many addendums and post-its decorating it that it was often referred to as one of the more complicated contracts in the league by those on the outside who specialize in NFL contracts.
From the Eagles' perspective, the idea was to get Cox on a more Jason Kelce-like plan moving forward at a little less money than the six-time Pro Bowl selection would have gotten on Thursday.
By all accounts, Cox's camp, led by agent Todd France, is amenable to that.
The frustration Cox openly showed early last season in the shift away from Jim Schwartz's scheme to Gannon's was real but it was also corrected by the second half when compromise was reached.
The CliffsNotes version of the overblown disconnect was that Cox had spent years with plenty of success in Schwartz's scheme playing three-technique and being told to disrupt things, a job description that is quite frankly a lot of fun for a DT. In Gannon's more disciplined approach Cox was playing plenty of 3T but also 4I and even five-technique, which took some getting used to.
The calculated gamble by Philadelphia here is that by releasing Cox, France can take calls at any time and act immediately if another franchise comes calling with more guaranteed money.
The Eagles quickly signaled that this was planned to be a very short "exit" by Cox by the nature of the confirmation of his release. Typically, when the page is turned on a player of Cox's stature, the owner, general manager, and head coach will all offer statements in honor of what the player had done for the Eagles.
Remember, only four players in franchise history have made more Pro Bowls than Cox and three of them are in the Hall of Fame - Chuck Bednarik, Reggie White, and Brian Dawkins - while the other, Jason Peters, has his GPS programmed for Canton.
Of course, if that wasn't clear enough for you, the Eagles' website even admitted they were hoping to bring Cox back.
The business of football works both ways as evidenced by the 180s of players like Randy Gregory, J.D. McKissic, and Za'Darius Smith over the past two days of free agency.
Gregory originally agreed to re-up with the Cowboys before balking over some contract language and moving onto Denver while McKissic agreed to terms with Buffalo before experiencing buyer's remorse when Washington matched the offer, and Smith was on his way back to Baltimore before thinking better of it.
Until pen is put to paper, nothing is set in stone but the Eagles want Cox and the player still wants to be here.
Without Cox, the Eagles would be very thin at defensive tackle, with only Javon Hargrave and 2021 third-round pick Milton Williams as penciled-in contributors buttressed by unproven developmental projects like Marlon Tuipulotu, Marvin Wilson, and Renell Wren.
For all the talk of how much better Hargrave was than Cox in 2021 due to higher sack numbers, Cox was graded higher by Pro Football Focus and still has a more well-rounded game.
Cox was ranked the 29th best interior defensive lineman while Hargrave was No. 31, mainly due to the latter's struggles supporting the run where Hargrave was near the bottom of the league for DTs (No. 105 of 110).
The struggles were so significant for Hargrave in run support that a team source indicated that Gannon would consider moving him to 3T for the vast majority of his reps and Cox's willingness to accept a more workmanlike role is a big part of that plan.
Meanwhile, the goal in free agency is always to patch up holes so you're not forced to reach for anything in the draft.
Losing Cox would essentially force the Eagles toward a DT in the first round, a position that has more demand than supply at the top of the process with the Georgia duo of Jordan Davis and Devonte Wyatt, as well as UConn's Travis Jones as potential first-rounders.
Gannon was spotted at Georgia's pro day last week, along with VP of player personnel Andy Weidl.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
