Philadelphia Eagles: Mechanics expert praises Darius Slay
The kudos continue for Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay.
The coup of the Philadelphia Eagles offseason came in the form of the addition of cornerback Darius Slay. The disappointment, at least in the minds of some, of missing out on Byron Jones, a man much of the “Birds” fanbase and quite a few members of the Philly media wanted, led to panic when the second-best cornerback in the free-agency pool, James Bradberry signed with the rival New York Giants, but as he often does, Eagles vice president and general manager Howie Roseman pulled a rabbit out of the hat.
A March 20th trade that sent Slay to Philly from the Detroit Lions in exchange for a third and fifth-round selection in 2020’s version of the NFL Draft was immediately followed by a three-year contract extension. That keeps the man expected to stabilize Philly’s cornerback situation in the “City of Brotherly Love” through the 2023 season. There is a potential out in the 2022 offseason, however.
The Philadelphia Eagles seem to have hit the jackpot.
A few theories have stated that, after missing on both Jones and Bradberry, Slay was the best prospect Philly could have hoped for. Others state that Slay’s the better prospect. In 105 career games with 96 starts, the man that will wear the number 24 for the “Birds” (in honor of the late, great Kobe Bryant), has hustled his way into 350 career tackles. 298 have been of the solo variety.
3 major statements from Darius Slay. light. Related Story
Add that to a sack, 105 pass breakups, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and 19 picks. Those numbers include two playoff games, and one of those 19 picks was the first that Carson Wentz ever threw. Slay’s gifts are limitless, but it’s nice to see them on display.
Recently, the Twitterverse was placed on notice by an NFL mechanics expert, Rischad Whitfield, better known as the “Footwork King”. Take a look at this one.
https://twitter.com/footwork_king1/status/1279584738144129024
They don’t call him “Big-play Slay” for no reason. Seriously folks. What needs to be said after that one? If there was ever a drop the mic moment, this is it.
With Slay on one side of the defensive formation and the newly-added Nickell Robey Coleman in the fold to play the slot corner position, seemingly all Philly needs to do is figure out who’s starting on the other side of Mr. Slay.
light. Related Story. Slay’s 5 toughest matchups on the Eagles schedule
Philly’s turned the cornerback position from a weakness to a position of strength. Things aren’t perfect yet, but if you’re a fan of the “Birds”, you have to feel better about this position group than you did back in January.