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New Eagles cornerback Patrick Robinson blames self for slow development

Patrick Robinson says he is trying to be more consistent and to play up to his ability

PATRICK ROBINSON begins Eagles OTAs as a starting cornerback, which doesn't mean that is where he will be in September. Third-round rookie Rasul Douglas is expected to contend eventually, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz liked Ron Brooks before Brooks went down for the season with a ruptured quadriceps tendon last Oct. 23.

"I didn't have any expectations" upon joining the Eagles, Robinson, 29, said Tuesday.

He was a first-round draft pick of the Saints in 2010, but that was a while ago now. Robinson has flashed ability - a solid season with the Chargers in 2015 netted him a three-year, $13.5 million deal to start for the Colts last year - but something always happens. In Indianapolis, he went on IR with a groin injury after playing only seven games. The general manager who signed him, former Eagles personnel exec Ryan Grigson, was fired after the season, and Robinson again became a free agent. A connection with former New Orleans teammate Malcolm Jenkins helped him land here.

What has held Robinson back from becoming the player the NFL envisioned, coming out of Florida State?

"I would say myself," he said Tuesday. "I just gotta be more mentally strong, I think."

Why has that been a problem?

"I don't know, to be honest. I can't give you an answer on that," Robinson said. "I really don't know."

So far he is having fun here, he said, playing opposite boisterous second-year corner Jalen Mills in the base defense. "Those young guys have a lot of energy - there's always upbeat, laughing, having fun," Robinson said. "That makes it fun for me."

"Really I'm just trying to play up to my ability, be more consistent," Robinson said. "I think the sky is still the limit for me."

Cox absence noted; Smith not so much

Doug Pederson acknowledged that defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, left tackle Jason Peters and punter Donnie Jones were not present as the Eagles began OTAs Tuesday, and he seemed less than thrilled to not have Cox on hand. Oddly enough, Pederson failed to mention that defensive end Marcus Smith, the Eagles' 2014 first-round pick, also was a no-show.

It seems possible that Smith thinks his future is elsewhere and just wants to get on with it, after seeing the Eagles add veteran defensive end Chris Long and first-round draft pick Derek Barnett. Smith is due a $594,000 roster bonus on the third day of training camp, and he might have decided he is unlikely to collect it. Maybe Pederson knows a roster move is coming and decided not to highlight Smith's absence.

Pederson's reaction to the absences he did mention seemed mixed. He stressed that these sessions are voluntary - there's a mandatory minicamp in June - and that he has been in contact with Cox, Peters and Jones and thinks they will be here when they are required to be here. But Pederson also acknowledged that, as a coach trying to put a team together, he would like full OTA participation. And the absence of Cox, his 26-year-old defensive fulcrum, the highest-paid Eagle, at $103 million over six years, definitely is something Pederson would change if he could.

"No worries with them going forward . . . Some of them were just personal reasons, and again, being on a voluntary schedule like this, it's a little bit out of my control," Pederson said. "These guys have also participated in our offseason program to this point, and (I) expect 'em to continue that way."

Jones is a punter who turns 37 in July. Pederson can install his offense and defense without the punter. And Peters, the 35-year-old left tackle, has shown that rest seems to help him more than drill work he has done a million times before. But Cox, the 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft, wants to be a defensive leader. The Eagles want him to be a defensive leader. In order to lead, leaders need to be present.

A source close to the situation said Cox was spending time with his family.

Asked specifically about Cox, if his reason for not being on hand was satisfactory, Pederson said: "The reason's satisfactory, but, again, it's a voluntary program. I would love for everybody to be here, you know? That's just me, personally . . . I know it's not always going to work out that way. But Fletcher's one of the leaders on the football team, and guys like that, you do expect to be here. But I get the rules, we abide by the rules, and 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."

Birdseed

Joe Walker, the middle linebacker who seemed likely to make the team as a rookie last year before suffering a late-August ACL tear, said he is working his way back but probably won't be fully cleared until training camp. "Everything's pretty much on schedule," Walker said . . . Brandon Graham, who seemed sharp and focused on the first day of OTAs, said he feels a sense of responsibility toward first-round draftee Derek Barnett. "As a rookie (in 2010), I had Trent Cole, and Trent Cole made it kind of easy for me, made it a lot better. I'm just trying to pass it on," Graham said . . . Carson Wentz's first pass when the first-team offense and the first-team defense lined up against each other was a short toss to Alshon Jeffery . . . Doug Pederson extolled the attitude and work ethic of linebacker Mychal Kendricks, who has been on the trade block all offseason.

bowenl@phillynews.com

@LesBowen

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