Eagles CB Darius Slay plants his flag, Ronald Darby plants another

The Eagles man of the hour, Darius Slay, makes his intentions known as Philly’s new rival and former corner, Ronald Darby plants his flag in Washington.

Slowly, a little swagger is growing again in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ fanbase. In less than a month, everyone’s gone from the confidence that landing Byron Jones would have brought to the frustration of seeing him sign with a struggling franchise to watching everything work out with a trade that sent two draft picks to the Detroit Lions and Darius Slay to the “City of Brotherly Love”.

It may have been confusing at the time, but Philly also signed a defensive tackle, Javon Hargrave, when it seems like they already have five who are capable. Whether you were on board with Hargrave’s addition from the beginning or not, everyone’s going to feel better when he, Fletcher Cox, and Malik Jackson start collapsing a few pockets.

Philly’s got eight picks in the NFL Draft, including the 21st in the first round. If they land Justin Jefferson and Philly makes a little more noise with some of that cap space, no one’s going to be talking about how DeSean Jackson got hurt or how Howie Roseman has butchered more draft picks than he’s nailed.

Yes, the general manager can’t keep masking bad decisions in the selection meeting with trades and big-name signings, but even with all of that being said, it doesn’t seem like the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Washington Redskins are getting any better either.

Yep, there’s some swagger creeping into that Eagles locker room again, thanks in large part to the additions of Slay, Hargrave, and some very underrated guys like Nickell Robey-Coleman, Will Parks, and Jatavis Brown. Shortly after his arrival, Slay informed Eagles fans that he was a “great” corner, not a good one. Recently, he planted another flag. According to a nice piece of writing by Rob Maaddi of the Associated Press, Slay wants the responsibility of going one-on-one with the game’s best receivers. Here’s a quote from Maaddi’s story.

"I love the challenge. I kind of ask for it a lot because the fact that I want the game on me, and I want to help win the game, and if the best route to go about it is me traveling with a guy, then I’ll do it. If the coach sees otherwise, if he says left or right, I’ll want to do whatever to help the team win."

Meanwhile, in our nation’s capital, former Eagles corner Ronald Darby is all in on the idea of playing for Ron Rivera. Cornerbacks seem to have great years when they play for “Riverboat Ron”. If you need any evidence, just think back to 2015. A great year on a Rivera-led team made everyone believe that Josh Gordon was better than he was for three more seasons.

Darby grew up a Redskins fan, and playing for the team he once cheered for has him pumped about an opportunity to wage war with his former team twice a year. Take a look.

After watching Darby struggle with the Eagles for quite a while, it’s easy for Philly’s fans to beat on their chests knowing that they now will see him on an opposite sideline twice a year. Some see that as a feather on Philly’s winged helmets. No one should forget that injuries have played a part in his struggles though. Let’s not start counting touchdowns before they happen on the field. This may not be the walk in the park that everyone is expecting.

Maybe you fear a healthy Darby. Maybe you don’t. One thing is certain. Slay is up to any challenge that awaits. Here’s more from his conversation with Maaddi.

"I can get up in a guy’s face for the whole game. I can switch up my technique from off to press. I’m comfortable in anything I’m doing. I compete every play. I’m not scared. I’m not a cocky guy, (I’m) just a confident guy. I feel like I just like to go play ball"

If you love the Eagles, that’s exactly what you want to hear.