Speaking with reporters at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday, DT Fletcher Cox confirmed a report from earlier this offseason that he had surgery to to repair his right foot, which he injured during the Philadelphia Eagles' loss to the New Orleans Saints in the divisional round of the playoffs in January.
At the time of that report, it was expected that Cox would be ready for the start of training camp. On Tuesday, Cox seemed less certain.
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"I had a procedure done this offseason and everything is going good, so I’m happy about that," Cox said. "I’m just taking it day-by-day. The goal is to be ready for training camp."
At the 2019 NFL Combine, Doug Pederson was asked what advantages the team will have with a longer offseason, after the team had a shorter offseason a year ago after winning the Super Bowl.
"There's always going to be those injured guys who have procedures at the end of the year," Pederson said. "They have a longer healing time. Maybe you get them back for OTAs if they're minor enough. If not, at least you'll get them back from training camp."
It was expected around this time last year that Alshon Jeffery would be ready for the start of the 2018 season, but he ended up missing the first three games.
"Last year we had guys linger through camp even into the first part of the season, so that's probably a benefit," Pederson said.
Missing Jeffery for the start of the season is one thing. Missing Cox would be a completely different, and elevated, disadvantage. In 2018, Cox was arguably the best player on the team, and his heavy workload was a necessity based on the team's lack of depth at defensive tackle.
Not including guys who were signed to futures contracts, the Eagles depth at defensive tackle looks something like this:
| 1 | 2 | |
| DT | Fletcher Cox | Treyvon Hester |
| DT | Malik Jackson | Bruce Hector |
In other words, defensive tackle is kind of a big need heading into the 2019 NFL Draft.
EAGLES DRAFT PREVIEW
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | G/C
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