May 23, 2017
Three Eagles players are absent from the Philadelphia Eagles' first group of OTA practices, Doug Pederson revealed on Tuesday. They are DT Fletcher Cox, LT Jason Peters, and P Donnie Jones.
Peters turned 35 in January, and can use all the rest he can get. Meanwhile, Jones will turn 37 in July, and probably needs OTA practices to ready himself for the season less than anyone on the roster.
Cox's decision to miss OTAs, however, is a little more curious. Last offseason, he signed a new six-year, $103 million contract extension. While Cox played well last season, he was not the elite defender his contract would dictate he should be.
Pederson was asked if he is disappointed by Cox's absence, or if the reason was satisfactory.
"The reason is satisfactory, but again, it's a voluntary program," he said. "I would love for everybody to be here. That's just me personally. I know it's not always going to work out that way, but Fletcher is one of the leaders on the football team, and guys like that you do expect to be here. But I get the rules, we abide by the rules, and he's one of the guys too, that at the end of the day, I'm going to hang my hat on and go to war with."
Leaders don't miss practice after signing contracts worth over $17 million per season, unless they have a very good reason. We'll see.
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