Fletcher Cox Still Making an Impact Despite Lack of Stats

Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox may not have a sack through five games, but opposing quarterbacks probably shouldn't get too comfortable in the pocket.

"I know my time is coming," Cox said Wednesday.

Cox is coming off his most impactful game of the season by far with five tackles against the Jets, two of those behind the line of scrimmage. And while the four-time Pro Bowler somehow wasn't part of the Eagles' sack parade on Sunday, coaches and teammates credited him with creating quite a few plays that didn't show up on the stat sheet.

"(Rodney McLeod's) interception was all Fletch," said Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. "(Josh Sweat's) sack was Fletch disrupted the quarterback, stepped up, and Josh came off his block and was able to make the sack.

"I know when I look at the film, Fletch got me one," said Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham. "I owe him on that one."

Unfortunately for Cox, sacks are not transferrable.

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"I wish he could sell me one," said Cox. "Are they selling sacks right now? I'd like to buy a couple for real."

Cox is coming off a career year in which he recorded 10.5 sacks, but underwent offseason foot surgery and missed all of the Eagles' offseason workouts, training camp and preseason. Not surprisingly, his 2019 got off to a slow start, and not merely in terms of sacks. He has just two quarterback hits, while the tackles for loss on Sunday were his first.

Week 3 against the Lions, Cox didn't even make it into the box score.

Now, all of a sudden, Cox is looking healthy again - sure, a game against the Jets will do that for a defender, but he says the foot doesn't bother him anymore and he's "been feeling good since the short week in Green Bay."

"I'm perfectly fine, and I think if you turn the tape on right now you see a totally different person in me," said Cox. "I'm 100 percent, flying around, making a lot of plays that I normally made when I was healthy back last year, and I feel great."

Eagles coach Doug Pederson says Cox is "coming into his own" with the injury finally behind him. No surprise, the defense appears to be coming along with him.

"I'm not a big stats guy," said Schwartz. "It's about stopping drives. It's about winning games and limiting scoring and things like that.

"There is no stat for team defense. There is no stat for guys doing their job, doing it tough, and doing it physically. Fletch did that in this game."

And while Cox would love to get into the sack column sooner rather than later, he'll definitely take more performances like he had against the Jets over his contributions for the first month of the season.

"I'm not a selfish person," said Cox. "The most important thing right now is to keep this team on the right track, just continue being a leader and just enjoy the wins."

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