Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Fletcher Cox Lands at No 9

Now entering his 11th season, the value of the veteran DT extends beyond the field

Fletcher Cox is one of the best defensive tackles to wear an Eagles uniform.

Now with his 32nd birthday sitting on the December horizon, he isn’t what he was, but he’s still plenty good enough to land at No. 9 in our top 25 countdown of the best current Eagles.

The process behind the list started with Eagles Today site publisher Ed Kracz and staff writer John McMullen putting together their top 25 lists independent of each other’s and then assigning point values, with 25 points awarded to the player ranked first on each list, 24 to the player ranked second, and so on, with one point going to the player that was put 25th.

The highest ranking from either reporter broke any ties in the balloting.

Kracz and McMullen pretty much saw eye-to-eye as to where Cox ranked, with Kracz putting him tenth on his list, McMullen ninth.

Making a list of purely defensive tackles would look much different than the countdown.

In fact, a case could easily be made for Cox being the best ever Eagle to play that position, with Jerome Brown in the running, too. Brown, however, had his career tragically cut short after just five seasons, in which he compiled 29.5 sacks, due to a car accident.

Cox will enter his 11th season in Philadelphia after being picked in the first round, No. 12 overall, in the 2012 draft.

What has he done?

To answer “a lot” would be an understatement.

Fletcher Cox / USA Today

He has more sacks than any defensive tackles in team history with 58, including a career-high 10.5 in 2018, and is the last Eagles defender to post double digits in that department.

He has played in 156 games, more than any other Eagles DT.

He is a four-time All-Pro selection, a six-time Pro Bowler, and was named to the NFL 2010’s All-Decade team.

Cox started slowly last year but elevated his game as the season went on and helped the Eagles make the postseason.

He is on a year-to-year contract, so there are no guarantees when it will all come to an end for him in Philadelphia.

“Everybody has that day, that day they get released from the team they’ve been playing for, for a long time,” he said on June 8. “At some point obviously that day has to come…”

For now, Cox will look for a faster start to his season while helping lead a young defensive tackle group that includes second-year player Milton Williams and rookie Jordan Davis.

Cox recalled how when he was starting out players such as Cullen Jenkins and Trent Cole took him under their wings. It’s his turn to pay it forward.

“He’s one of those guys that I looked up to and it’s crazy to say that I’m playing next to him,” said Davis. “Regardless, he’s always coaching me up. I feel he wants me to be the best player I can be for the betterment of the team.”

THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR

No. 25 – Jack Driscoll

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No. 24 – Derek Barnett

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No. 23 – Kyzir White

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No. 22 - Quez Watkins

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No. 21 – Jake Elliott

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No. 20 – Isaac Seumalo

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No. 19 – James Bradberry

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No. 18 - Jordan Davis

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No. 17 - T.J. Edwards

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No. 16 - Miles Sanders

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No. 15 - Landon Dickerson

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No. 14 - Avonte Maddox

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No. 13 - Jalen Hurts

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No. 12 - Javon Hargrave

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No. 11 - Brandon Graham

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No. 10 - Josh Sweat

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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.