Early Birds: Cox on trade rumors; DeMeco on Achilles/three ILBs; Kelce on Mathis

Three leftovers from the first media availability during OTAs last week:

1. Cox not bothered by trade rumors. Despite having his name prominently mentioned in trade rumors during the draft, Fletcher Cox said that he wasn't bothered by the notion that Chip Kelly was prepared to move him.

"It would have been a distraction if I was to let that bother me or put me one step behind," Cox said in his first public statements since after the draft. "I'm not trying to take on step backwards, I want to take one step forward every day. My job here is to play football and that's the most important thing to me."

Kelly denied that players were discussed in trade offers to the Titans and Buccaneers. There was a report that Cox and other players were part of a package the Eagles offered to Tennessee for the No. 2 pick and presumably to draft quarterback Marcus Mariota.

But NFL sources told The Inquirer after the draft that negotiations only involved draft picks. The reported offer to Tampa Bay didn't specify which players the Eagles were prepared to part with.

Nevertheless, Kelly said he felt compelled to call Cox and other rumored players and quell any concerns about their future. Cox, who had a breakout third season, had his fifth-year option picked up by the Eagles before the draft.

He's slated to make around $1.8 million this coming season, and then $7.8 million in his fifth season provided the Eagles and Cox don't work out an extension. The defensive end said that he wasn't concerned about possible contract talks in the interim.

"I'll leave that up to my agent, Todd France," Cox said. "I'm here to play."

2. DeMeco on Achilles rupture No. 2. To some surprise, DeMeco Ryans participated in nearly every drill last Thursday when OTAs were opened to the media. The linebacker was less than seven months removed from rupturing his right Achilles tendon against the Texans.

He suffered the same injury four years earlier to his left leg during an October game. He returned by the start of the 2011 season, but he has said previously that it took several games before he felt 100 percent.

His rehab process was much different that offseason, though. The NFL lockout prevented injured players from receiving team assistance in their recoveries.

"It's just different from the first time and having to go through the lockout," Ryans said. "I wasn't with the training staff the entire time. Being here has definitely been a plus and that's the reason why I've progressed the way I have this time."

The Eagles felt confident enough in Ryans' rehab to rework his deal this offseason and add a year. The restructure lowered his cap hit for 2015, but it verified that he would return this season even though many thought he would be a goner after the Eagles traded for Kiko Alonso.

The same could have been said for Mychal Kendricks, who the Eagles actually did offer to teams this offseason. But he's still on the roster and has been at spring workouts after skipping the first two weeks.

Ryans said he wasn't as worried as perhaps some fans to see how the Eagles plan to utilize the three starting-caliber linebackers.

"Whatever happens will happen," Ryans said. "Everybody knows we got some good players. It's probably the best depth that we've had in the linebacker group since I've been here. I know everybody is interested in talking about it, but to us … we don't see it as this big competition. It's just all of us helping each other to be better."

Ryans, Kendricks and Alonso split repetitions at the two first team inside linebacker spots during Thursday's session.

3. O-line prepares without Mathis. The guess here is that Evan Mathis will return at some point before the season. But the Eagles have been understandably preparing as if the Pro Bowl left guard won't be on the team for the coming season.

So instead of keeping Allen Barbre at right guard, where he was slated to start after Todd Herremans was released, the Eagles have had the 30-year old at Mathis' spot on the left side.

"Nobody really knows what's going to happen," center Jason Kelce said. "So I think that having Al work at left [guard], where he hasn't had that many snaps – primarily, the last few years he's been working more the right side -- he can get more comfortable out of a left hand stance if he has to play left guard."

Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner have been splitting snaps at right guard, per Kelce. The Pro Bowl center said that he wasn't concerned about cohesion since he's had the opportunity to work alongside all three during previous seasons.

The Eagles did little to address the offensive line this offseason. They didn't sign any veteran free agents or draft any rookies. They did sign four undrafted rookies.

"I'm never surprised at the draft, however it shakes out," Kelce said. "But I did think that we were going to draft an offensive lineman."