Fletcher Cox

Fletcher Cox (born December 13, 1990) is an American football defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted 12th overall by the Eagles in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Mississippi State. Cox is a Super Bowl champion and has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times.

Fletcher Cox
Cox with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013
No. 91 – Philadelphia Eagles
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1990-12-13) December 13, 1990
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
High school:Yazoo City
(Yazoo City, Mississippi)
College:Mississippi State
NFL Draft:2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 12
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Total tackles:408
Sacks:54.5
Forced fumbles:12
Fumble recoveries:11
Pass deflections:14
Defensive touchdowns:2
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

College career

Cox attended Yazoo City High School in Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he played football and basketball and ran track.[1] Cox played three seasons at Mississippi State University. In football, Cox was named an All-American by Pro Football Weekly as a junior in 2011, after totalling 103 total tackles, including 11 quarterback sacks and two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.[2] As a senior, he had 104 total tackles, including 10 quarterback sacks, and also added one interception and a fumble recovery. He was selected to play in the Mississippi-Alabama High School All-Star game.[3]

He was also on the Yazoo High track & field team, where he competed in the high jump and in the relays. At the 2009 Division 3-4A Meet, he placed 8th in the high jump event, with a leap of 1.74 meters.[4] In relays, he had personal-best times of 44.32 seconds in the 4 × 100m relay and 1:32.63 minutes in the 4 × 200m relay.[5] He was also credited with a 4.47 time in the 40-yard dash, and benched 300 lb.

Regarded as a four-star recruit by national recruiting web site Rivals.com, he was rated as the No. 5 weak side defensive end in the country, and the No. 2 prospect in the state of Mississippi. He was also considered the No. 17 defensive end prospect in the country by Scout.com. He chose to attend MSU over scholarship offers from LSU, Alabama, Auburn and Ole Miss.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand size40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m)
298 lb
(135 kg)
34 12 in
(0.88 m)
10 38 in
(0.26 m)
4.79 s1.65 s2.65 s4.53 s7.07 s26.0 in
(0.66 m)
9 ft 0 in
(2.74 m)
30 reps
All values from NFL combine

2012 season

The Philadelphia Eagles traded up from the 15th selection to pick Cox 12th overall in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.[7] He is the highest selected Mississippi State Bulldog since Michael Haddix in 1983, and the highest selected Bulldog defensive lineman since Jimmy Webb in 1975. Cox was signed to a four-year contract on June 18, 2012.[8]

On October 14, 2012, Cox was ejected after throwing punches against Detroit Lions players, and was fined $21,000.[9] During his rookie year in 2012, Cox played 15 games and finished with 39 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, and 1 forced fumble.

2013 season

With the Eagles switching to a 3-4 type defense in 2013, Cox played defensive end. In 2013, Cox started all 16 games and finished with 44 tackles, three sacks, three passes defended, and one fumble recovery. The Eagles finished the season with a 10-6 record to clinch the NFC East, but lost to the New Orleans Saints in the wild card round by a score of 26-24.

2014 season

The 2014 season was a breakout year for Cox, acquiring 61 tackles, 4.0 sacks, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, and five run stuffs in 16 games. His presence along the Eagles defensive line led to league-wide recognition and Second-team All-Pro honors.

2015 season

On April 27, 2015, The Eagles picked up his 5th year option, keeping him with the team through the 2016 season.[10] In a matchup against the New Orleans Saints in week 5 of the 2015 season, Cox recorded 3.0 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. These matched his season total from 2014 in sacks (4.0) and his career total from 2012-2014 in forced fumbles (2) within only 5 games.

Cox finished the 2015 season with 71 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two passes defended, and three forced fumbles. For his efforts, Cox received Second-team All-Pro honors and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. He also received the Ed Block Courage Award.[11] He was ranked 49th on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[12]

2016 season

In 2016, the Eagles reverted to a 4-3 scheme, leading to Cox switching back to defensive tackle. On June 13, 2016, Cox signed a six-year, $103 million extension with the Eagles with $63 million guaranteed.[13] As a result of a successful 2016 season, Cox was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl. He was also ranked 38th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[14]

2017 season

Cox returning a fumble Week 1, 2017

On September 10, 2017, in the season opening 30–17 victory over the Washington Redskins, Cox recovered a fumble from quarterback Kirk Cousins and returned it for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to help put the game away.[15] On December 19, 2017, Cox was named to his third straight Pro Bowl.[16] Cox could not play in the Pro Bowl because of his team advancing to the Super Bowl. The Eagles defeated the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII 41-33 to give Cox his first Super Bowl ring.[17] Cox recorded one tackle. He was ranked 69th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[18]

2018 season

In Week 17, Cox recorded three sacks, four tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in a 24-0 win over the Washington Redskins, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[19]

2019 season

In week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys, Cox recorded his first sack and forced fumble of the season on Dak Prescott in the 37–10 loss.[20] In week 8 against the Buffalo Bills, Cox recorded 1.5 sacks on Josh Allen in the 31-13 win.[21]

Career statistics

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GPGSCombSoloAstSackIntYardsAvgLngTDPDFFFRYardsTD
2012PHI 159393275.5000.00041000
2013PHI 16164432123.0000.00030130
2014PHI 16166148134.0000.000013211
2015PHI 16167150219.5000.00023200
2016PHI 16164327166.5000.00021100
2017PHI 14142615115.5000.000112201
2018PHI 161646331310.5000.00011130
2019PHI 16164026143.5000.00023110
2020PHI 15154128136.5000.00011000
Career14013440828812054.5000.000151211482

Awards

  • NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September 2016
  • NFC Defensive Player of Week 17 2019

References

  1. "Fletcher Cox". SB Nation Philly. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  2. PFW 2011 All-America team Archived February 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. http://www.hailstate.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=204766793
  4. http://ms.milesplit.com/meets/52612/results/89133
  5. https://www.trackingfootball.com/players/fletcher-cox-5881/
  6. https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/recruiting/player-Fletcher-Cox-78169
  7. "Fletcher Cox". SB Nation Philly. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  8. "Eagles sign DT Fletcher Cox". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
  9. "Fletcher Cox says he's been fined $21K by NFL for punch". National Football League. October 24, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2012.
  10. "Eagles exercise fifth-year option on Fletcher Cox". National Football League. April 27, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  11. "Ed Block Courage Award: Fletcher Cox". Philadelphia Eagles. December 9, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  12. NFL Top 100 Players of 2016 - No. 49 Fletcher Cox
  13. Wesseling, Chris (June 13, 2016). "Fletcher Cox, Eagles agree on 6-year, $103M extension". NFL.com.
  14. NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 - No. 38 Fletcher Cox
  15. "Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  16. "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  17. "Eagles dethrone Tom Brady, Patriots for first Super Bowl title in stunner". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  18. NFL Top 100 Players of 2018: No. 69 Fletcher Cox
  19. Maya, Adam (January 2, 2019). "Josh Allen, Darius Leonard among Players of the Week". NFL.com.
  20. "Cowboys run over Eagles, take 1st in NFC East with 37-10 win". www.espn.com. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  21. "Philadelphia Eagles run over Buffalo Bills in 31-13 win". www.espn.com. October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
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