Fletcher Cox, Darren Sproles report for minicamp

Fletcher Cox and Darren Sproles, both of whom missed all the Eagles' voluntary workouts this offseason, reported for minicamp on Monday.

While the mandatory three days of practices are not scheduled to start until Tuesday, players were to report a day ahead of time for physicals.

Eagles coach Doug Pederson had not seen Cox or Sproles as of early Monday afternoon, but he reiterated comments made last week that he expected both players to arrive.

Cox was unavailable for comment, but Sproles told The Inquirer that he skipped organized team activities because of "family stuff" and added that the Eagles "were cool with it." There were reports that the running back, who turns 33 later this month, wanted a new contract and was waiting to see if he would be traded, but he said those reports were false.

The Eagles announced that all 87 eligible players reported on Monday. Three rookies — Byron Marshall of Oregon, Isaac Seumalo of Oregon State and Aziz Shittu of Stanford — will not attend minicamp because of NCAA graduation rules.

Sproles is entering the final season of a two-year, $7 million contract extension he signed before the 2014 season. His base salary for 2016 is $3.5 million. The Eagles could expand his role this season after trading DeMarco Murray in March. Ryan Mathews is slated to be the No. 1 running back, however.

Sproles is once again likely to be the Eagles' primary punt returner. His numbers as a tailback, receiver and returner declined in 2015, but the regression may have been a by-product of the Eagles' struggles.

Cox and the Eagles have been negotiating a new contract for most of the offseason but have yet to come to terms. The all-pro defensive tackle is destined to become one of the highest paid players at his position, but it's unclear if he wishes to top the Dolphins' Ndamukong Suh's $19 million-per-year contract.

The 25-year-old Cox is slated to earn $7.8 million in base salary this season. The Eagles also have the luxury of retaining the defensive tackle for another year if they choose to franchise tag him in 2017. Howie Roseman, the Eagles executive vice president of football operations, has said that the team isn't trying to win the "leverage game" with Cox.

Cox and Sproles risked losing about $76,000 each if they opted out of minicamp.