Eagles head coach Doug Pederson told reporters that he expects both Fletcher Cox and Darren Sproles to be in attendance next week, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pederson added that GM Howie Roseman has been in contact with Cox’s agent while assistant coach Duce Staley has reached out to Sproles (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
Cox opted to skip voluntary workouts in May over dissatisfaction with his contract talks. Cox didn’t lose out on any money by staying away from OTAs, but he would be fined more than $76K if he did not attend June’s mandatory three-day minicamp. Roseman contends that Cox is a “huge part” of the team’s future, but the two sides will have to smooth out this contract situation for that to come to fruition. One report earlier this year claimed that the two sides were closing in on a long-term deal with more than $52MM in guarantees while another report indicated that no deal was close. Several weeks later, there’s still no agreement between the standout defensive lineman and Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, the Eagles reportedly fielded some trade inquiries on Sproles during the draft in April. The tailback did not report for OTAs and it was said that he was staying at home while the situation sorted itself out. For what it’s worth, Pederson said that he has no interest in trading Sproles and considers him to be an important part of the offense. Sproles currently sits as the team’s No. 2 back behind presumptive starter Ryan Mathews.
Cox, 25, enjoyed a career-year in 2015, setting a new career high with 9.5 sacks. He also racked up 71 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. The performance earned the former first-round pick his first Pro Bowl nod, along with a top-10 spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of interior defenders — he placed ninth out of 123 qualified players.
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