As the Philadelphia Eagles begin Phase 3 of their 2017 offseason workout program, three veteran players are missing from the team’s voluntary organized team activity practices.

Doug Pederson revealed the three players in his press conference prior to Tuesday’s practice: left tackle Jason Peters, defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, and punter Donnie Jones.

Pederson did not seem overly concerned about the absences of these players, noting their voluntary nature. He did add that he “expects” a leader on the team like Cox to be in Philadelphia, however.

The absence of Peters and Jones could have to do with their age. Peters turned 35 this offseason and Jones turns 37 in July.

As for Cox, he skipped OTA practices last year before showing up for mandatory minicamp. It was believed Cox was skipping OTAs while he was seeking a new contract, which he ultimately received.

I’ve seen Cox post pictures on Snapchat that indicates he’s on vacation. So maybe he’ll rejoin the team soon once that’s over.

I’d argue that these players missing OTAs ultimately isn’t a big deal. Again, these practices are voluntarily.

It’ll be another story if these veterans miss the Eagles’ mandatory minicamp in mid-June. By missing those practices, the players are subject to daily fines.

Stay tuned to Bleeding Green Nation for more Eagles OTAs coverage.