Fletcher Cox will play in Eagles-Panthers game, report says [UPDATE]

UPDATE: Sounds like Fletcher Cox will be playing tonight!

Original story below.

...

Here’s some potentially good news before the Eagles’ game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football: Philadelphia starting defensive tackle Fletcher is “pushing to play,” according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. RapSheet says Cox is “to be monitored in warmups.”

Cox was officially ruled “questionable” on the Eagles’ final Week 6 injury report. The big man hasn’t been able to suit up since suffering a calf injury in the Week 3 Eagles-Giants game.

Getting Cox back would be a big boost for the Eagles’ defense. Everyone already knows how good he is, but here’s a statistic from ESPN that really puts his greatness into context.

Prior to Week 5:

With Cox on the field this season (100 snaps), the Eagles have allowed 4.8 yards per play.

With him off the field (129 snaps), they've allowed 7.3 yards per play.

The combination of Cox and Tim Jernigan could be a big mismatch for the Panthers’ offensive line. Note that Carolina is starting backup center Tyler Larsen, who is dealing with a shoulder injury that caused him to miss two days of practice this week, in place of Ryan Kalil.

Rapoport also notes backup defensive tackle Beau Allen is pushing to play. Allen has been starting in place of Cox but was limited in practice all this week with a foot injury.

It’d be great for the Eagles if both players can suit up for this week’s game. The Panthers are a tough opponent and stopping Cam Newton won’t be easy. Having Cox active should make one feel better about Philly’s chances, however.

UPDATE: More optimism about Cox.