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By now you have probably heard that Myles Garrett is suspended and it appears it is going to be a long time before he dresses on Sundays again. Last week the Cleveland Browns signed Bryan Cox Jr. and despite being a pure reserve acquisition, it appears the young man may be thrust into duty and forced to see meaningful minutes. Garrett is an elite end, but below is a bit of what Cox can provide.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 265 pounds
Previous Team: Carolina Panthers
Cox went undrafted after the 2017 NFL Draft, which was a bit surprising after he completed a fairly solid collegiate career at Florida. Carolina snagged the DE/OLB right up and after failing to make the final roster in 2017 was placed on their practice squad until being called up early in the same season. Cox was on the Carolina active roster for the entire 2018 season, but failed to make the final cut for 2019 and has bounced back and forth from active to practice until he was snagged by Cleveland on November 13.
It is surprising that Cox was available mid-season as he does provide unique versatility with the ability to slide down to the inside as well as provide pressure from the edge. Many of the asthma issues that hampered Cox early in his career appear to have gone away, which also makes it more surprising that he was available for the Browns to snag. At only 25 years old, Cox has a few intriguing athletic traits that show potential for a potentially high ceiling.
Cox is not an NFL starter and although he has a few intriguing traits, it is more realistic for him to develop into a situational pass-rusher only. His injury history is not clean as he has numerous issues especially with asthma specifically and although it appears that is behind him, it is not a guarantee that it won’t be an issue in the future. Cox is an inconsistent player and inconsistency is why he went undrafted and why he has spent the majority of his professional career on practice squads.
You do not want Cox to start, because he can be a liability. Despite there being a few interesting traits and more than enough boxes are checked, Cox is not a finished product and is not ready for the big show. The reality is, Cox may be forced into action due to all of the suspensions and he can thrive in certain situations in limited snaps and that will be key moving forward.