Top 5 In 2014: Breakout Performers in Philadelphia Sports (Slideshow)

Sep 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) returns a fumble 17-yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Jaguars, 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

3.) Defensive Lineman Fletcher Cox – Eagles 

Sticking with the Eagles, we move to the best player on the team’s best unit. Fletcher Cox has a chance to be the most dominant Eagles defensive player since Brian Dawkins and his proximity to the point of attack makes it so you can watch him work every single snap he is on the field. The former 12th overall pick of the 2012 Draft has had to deal with position switches, coaching switches, and a complete overhaul in the team’s defensive schematics. Shockingly, this has not stunted the ferocious lineman’s development in the slightest.

The mark of a truly special talent in the NFL is having opponent’s comment on such. Prior to their second game against the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys put the spotlight on Cox after he impressed them so much in the first matchup. Here’s a quote from Tony Romo.

"“He was a good player last year, but you have to account for him this year. He deserves to go to the Pro Bowl this year. That football team, as good as they are on offense, he’s really elevated that unit on defense. You can just see it week in and week out.”"

The defensive line has developed into the most consistently effective unit on an otherwise inconsistent Eagles team. Their ability to penetrate and play against the run more than made up for the fact that, given the nature of the team’s defensive philosophy, players like Cox do not always rack up the highest sack numbers. Whether or not that is the reason Cox was snubbed from a much-deserved pro bowl is beyond me. What I do know is that, at just 24 years old, the sky is the limit for Cox and he has a chance to find himself in the upper echelon of NFL defensive linemen.

One of my favorite parts of Cox’s breakout season was his calling out of the Dallas offensive line before their Thanksgiving day showdown. Often times, locker room banter can turn into bulletin board material. After hearing the praises of the Cowboys’ young offensive line for weeks, Cox put the target on his chest when he questioned why his group did not garner the same level of respect.

"“People don’t give us credit we deserve but we put it on tape and we’ve shown the world we can stop the run and obviously if anybody ever watched football and knows what our D-line is known for, that’s stopping the run…Well, I mean, some people never played football in their life and think they know what they’re talking about, but we know what we see on tape, and we’ll see Thursday.”"

All Cox did against Dallas was turn in a performance for the ages. Four tackles, a sack, constant penetration, and a stifling of a Cowboys run game to the tune of just 93 yards didn’t even do justice to just how dominant the young lineman was. Even as the team started losing games after that, there was no way to ignore how effective Cox had become as one of the top 3-4 defensive linemen in the game. I imagine the eventual contract he receives from the Eagles will mend some of the wounds left by his pro bowl snub.