PHILADELPHIA – The ironman of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense has a dent, only a minor one, but one that will probably cause him to miss Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
Four-time All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox has a back issue. He received an epidural shot to provide relief earlier in the week. He is expected to only miss one game, but not seeing Cox on the field sure will feel strange not only for Eagles fans but his teammates, too.
“I’m not really concerned if there’s any drop-off,” said second-year defensive tackle Jordan Davis. “There shouldn’t be any drop-off. We’re professionals, that’s what we get paid to do. We’re here for a reason. You go in there and play for the Eagles. We hold ourselves to a higher standard than a lot of people. We’re ready for the moment.”
Cox, who was named to the All-Decade Team of the 2010s, last missed a game due to injury in the Super Bowl season of 2017, when he was out Weeks 4 and 5 with a calf strain.
He has missed only five games in what is now his 12th NFL season. Two of those games were because the Eagles didn’t play their starter in season finales of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
In short, he is the Jason Kelce of the Eagles’ defense. Kelce, of course, is that side of the ball’s ironman who is scheduled to start his 144th consecutive game at center, matching Jon Runyan for the longest streak in team history.
Cox was off to a strong start with 12 quarterback pressures, seven quarterback hits, and half a sack. He was playing a lot, too. His 58 snaps brought his playtime percentage up to 70 percent of the snaps, which, if it remained at that number the rest of the way, would be the most snaps he played percentage-wise since playing 79 percent of them in 2019.
“We’re strong at that position,” said Brandon Graham, Cox’s longtime teammate and whose lockers are side-by-side. “Fletch knows we’re going to go out there and take care of business and do it for him. It sucks he can’t go out there with us, but I feel the guys will step up in a big way, and this is their opportunity to show what’s to come for them.”
Cox is expected to miss only one game as his back adjusts to the injection.
