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Source: Fletcher Cox spending week with family, to join OTAs next week

Cox was one of three Eagles players announced as absent Tuesday.

Fletcher Cox is spending this week with his family and will return for organized team activities next week, according to a league source.

That's why Cox was not present for Tuesday's session of OTAs, which are not mandatory. Cox was one of three players announced as absent. Tackle Jason Peters and punter Donnie Jones were the others.

Cox, 26, is the centerpiece of the Eagles defense. He made the Pro Bowl the past two seasons and inked a six-year, $103 million contract with the team last summer. He has said he wants to take on a leadership role and be viewed as one of the faces of the franchise.

"The reason is satisfactory," coach Doug Pederson said before practice. "Again, it's a voluntary program. I would love for everybody to be here. That's just me, personally. I would love everybody to be here. I know it's not always going to work out that way. But, you know, Fletcher's one of the leaders on the football team. Guys like that, you do expect to be here. I get the rules. We abide by the rules. He's one of the guys, too, that at the end of the day, I'm going to hang my hat on and go to war with."

The Eagles have OTAs for the next three weeks, with a mandatory minicamp scheduled for June 13-15.