What's Going on With Fletcher Cox?

The veteran DT hasn't been his productive self early in the 2021 season and gave a few hints as to why

PHILADELPHIA - Fletcher Cox isn't producing like he usually does and critics are starting to notice.

The six-time Pro Bowl selection, long regarded as Philadelphia's most talented defender under former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, has just five tackles in four games. The bigger problem is the numbers not accompanying those tackles, most notably no sacks or tackles for losses. Not even a quarterback hit.

“I could be better," Cox admitted Wednesday before practice. "I know I can be better. That’s a problem I have to fix."

There have been many theories when it comes to Cox's lack of production. The simplest is that the now 30-year-old DT has simply lost a step from his physical prime.

Opposing offensive coaches, however, still seem to be game-planning with Cox in mind first and foremost. For years the mindset when playing Philadelphia was to find a way to block 91 and 55, the latter of which is Brandon Graham, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles'.

Now, it's about neutralizing Cox and his interior linemate Javon Hargrave, who had a big first month with 24 tackles, five sacks, six TFLs, and a forced fumble.

MORE: Lane Johnson's Status Remains Murky - Sports Illustrated

As for the film, ProFootballFocus.com has graded Hargrave as No. 27 out of 119 DTs, a steep drop from third overall after a poor run-support performance in a 42-30 loss to Kansas City on Sunday. Cox is a dismal 84 of 119.

To put that in perspective over the past seven seasons, Cox has been a top-10 interior player five times and his low-water mark was 30th of 126 last season.

Despite the struggles, Cox was double-teamed on 71.4 percent of his pass rushes against the Chiefs, the most attention he's received since Week 13 in 2020 against Green Bay when he was doubled-up 75 percent of the time per ESPN Stats and Info.

A potential answer to the puzzle is that Cox is simply being used differently than under Schwartz where he was strictly a 3-technique tasked with getting upfield and wreaking havoc.

Under Jonathan Gannon, Cox still plays mostly 3-technique but is also tasked to play 4i-technique as well.

"I mean, he played 3-technique a lot last game," Gannon said. "That's what he's playing right now for us. But, yeah, we like to move Fletch around. You know, his skill set is one of that it makes it a hard matchup for different people to block him. So that's one of the guys that I think - along with most of our guys, that's why we've trained them to play in different spots for matchup-driven reasons.

"And we got to continue to do that with Fletch, to give him the best matchup possible. But there's not a guy that lines up on Fletch, that in my mind, that he cannot beat."

MORE: Rise of Kenny Gainwell, Jalen Reagor Steps in - Sports ...

Cox himself described what his role has been before practice on Wednesday.

"I mean scheme-wise some things are different," he said. "Last year I was able to kind of run off the ball a little bit. More than what we’re doing now. We’re playing a different style of defense. Two different coordinators. 

“... Sometimes I play in the 3-technique, sometimes I play in the 4. It’s just one of them things where it’s hard to get settled in, in a game when you’re playing so many positions and doing so many things.”

The 4-technique is an alignment over the offensive tackle, between the B Gap and C Gap. 

In most defensive schemes, the 4-technique is responsible for both the B Gap and C Gap – making him a two-gap player. Gannon's defense is a little bit different and the tweak is the 4 designation, which typically aligns over the inside shoulder of an offensive tackle and plays the B Gap in more of a penetrating role.

“We do a lot of different things,” Cox said. “All I can do is prepare for it week in and week out. ... Embrace whatever we’re doing and make the best of it.”

And Cox still believes the production will come.

"I ain't concerned about it," the veteran said. "I think the biggest concern around here is we’re 1-3. We’ve got to do something about it."

Gannon, meanwhile, is always searching for the best matchup for his best player.

"We always talk about ways to get our best players going a little bit, and that starts with first and second down, and then goes into third down, it goes into situational ball," Gannon said. "I would say Fletch is doing a good job right now. "... So it's always a constant, ‘Hey, let's try to find ways to, free up Fletch or get Fletch going.’ ... the production - guys, we're four weeks through, the production will come. I'm not worried about the production from Fletch."

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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