PHILADELPHIA -- Some impending free agents leave stuff in their lockers, others leave nothing.
Shaquille Leonard had his full locker cleared out, nameplate and all. A tell-tale sign he won't be back. Fletcher Cox had his locker cleaned, but not everything was emptied.
"I had a bunch of stuff in there," Cox said. "I needed to get it cleaned, so today I had enough time to do the job."
The writing may be on the wall for Cox's impending future with the Philadelphia Eagles, no matter how his locker appears to look. Cox signed a one-year deal to return to the Eagles in hopes of getting another Super Bowl, but Philadelphia came up short of that goal.
Changes are coming, especially on the defensive sign of the ball. Where does the 33-year-old Cox fit into that equation?
"You just see where the chips fall," the six-time Pro Bowler said. "Obviously, they drafted some young talent, and those guys are really good. They've come a long way since they got here. Jordan [Davis] and Jalen [Carter], they did a really good job of taking on the game, learning how to be a pro.
"Do they have room to grow? Yes, everybody has room to grow. Even 12 years, I always have room to grow. I'm always watching them, trying to see what they see. They may see things that I don't see.
"They drafted some really, really good young talent here, and those guys will definitely be really, really good for this organization."
Davis appeared to leak Cox played his last game with the Eagles, whether the team decides not to retain him, Cox leaves on his own terms or simply retires.
"That's something me and Jalen [Carter] was talking about earlier. We have to take care of this team," Davis said. "Since Fletch is gone, I think Milton [Williams] is the oldest player on our D-Line. We're a very young team, at least on the defensive line.
"But we can't use that as an excuse. We can't use Fletch as our security blanket, because he's not there anymore ... Of course, we can call him, he's not dead or anything. It's a lot of pressure, but at the end of the day that's what we're here for."
Cox enjoys being a mentor to Davis and Carter, knowing they will carry the torch for the future of this organization. As for his future? Stay tuned.
"I mean, there's no timeline on greatness," Cox said in laughter (admitted he was joking). "There's no thoughts going in my head about it at all. I love this game. I give this game everything I got week in and week out. I try to be the best teammate, the best leader that I can.
"And really the best mentor for these young guys. I love being around them. They make me feel young. It's been exciting. Like I said, it's going to be one of those things that I think about it. I haven't thought about it yet. But we'll see."
