Fletcher Cox is happy to still be with the Eagles after all the trade rumors

Rumors circulated ahead of the NFL trade deadline earlier this week that defensive tackle Fletcher Cox was being shopped around by the team. No trade was made and Cox is still an Eagle. The veteran spoke to reporters on Friday about that whole process, why he’s excited to still be in Philly, and also about the Chargers and trying to get a win at home on Sunday.

The DT admitted that there were some conversations between Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni and his agent, and there were some teams interested in trying to trade for the veteran, but it ultimately came down to the team wanting to keep him and him wanting to stay in Philly.

“The most important part about it is they wanted me here, and I wanted to be here. I’m happy to be here, and I’m looking forward to going out and playing in The Linc again on Sunday.”

Cox went on to say that you can’t help but respect the organization for keeping him updated and involved in what was happening behind the scenes, because he knows that there aren’t many other teams that involve the player in that decision making process. He emphasized that Roseman and Sirianni did a really good job of communicating with him and his agent, and at the end of the day, he’s still an Eagle.

“What’s most important to me, honestly, is that I’m still here. They wanted me here. Mr. Lurie wanted me here. This organization wanted me here. I want to be here. Like I said, forever Philly, I’ve been here for 10 years and I’m happy to be here.”

He still feels like the team considers him a foundation piece for their defense, and he’s ready to move on from all the noise that went on around a trade. He’s still wearing green, got an Eagle on his helmet, and is ready to focus on the Chargers.

On the Chargers’ offense

Cox talked about how they’ve got a couple guys banged up on the offensive line, but at this point in the season, the group has played quite a bit together, and with Corey Linsley at center, he’s played a lot of ball.

“He’s a smart center. He’s kind of in control of everything at the line of scrimmage and their o-line, collectively, is pretty good. But, we’ve gotta do a good job of what we do and get after them. Their offense can be explosive, and the quarterback [Matthew Stafford] is really good, so like I said, we just gotta play our game and make it about us, and let’s get a win over at The Linc this year.”

He was also asked about Justin Herbert and how he might hold onto the ball a bit longer because he’s a younger quarterback. Cox noted that it’s always good for the defensive line when a QB holds onto the ball, because it gives them more time to get to him, but Herbert has made some plays, is quick with his feet, and can throw the ball into some really tight windows. He’s also not scared to take his time and take a hit if he has to in order to complete a pass, which is something Cox said he respects from a young quarterback.

Cox said that he thinks the Eagles defense has a chance to get after Herbert this weekend if they play like they did against the Lions. If they can put the Chargers in 2nd-and-long and 3rd-and-long situations like they did last week, and the DBs cover well, and they all do their job, they should definitely be able to have a big game sack-wise.

On not having a win at home yet this season

“It’s just been some self-inflicted wounds on our part. Some games that we didn’t close out, we started behind and maybe tried to get a comeback late and just ran out of time. It happens, but everything’s been good in practice this week, the energy, the focus to detail. Everybody’s been, as usual, holding everybody accountable, but just harping on that all week. So, we’re excited about it. We’ve got a really good football team we face this weekend so we’re looking forward to it.”

Other notables

• After making comments following the loss to the Raiders about the defense not being more aggressive, Cox said that he thought DC Jonathan Gannon called a great game last week against the Lions. They were able to get up a little bit on the scoreboard which allowed them to rush a little more, but he felt Gannon called a good game early to put them in those positions, which is something to be excited about.
• Cox was asked about the development of Milton Williams, and the veteran said the rookie has been soaking in as much as he can, even little things like certain blocks and OL notes that Cox has been giving him. He can see Williams taking the time to work through those things in practice and they’re translating to the field on game day.