Philadelphia Eagles should consider trading Darius Slay

This is going to sound crazy, but hear this one out. Philadelphia Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman needs to get on the phone and attempt to trade cornerback Darius Slay. Yes, you read that correctly. Philly needs to start fresh across the board, and moving on from the former Mississippi State Bulldog could be for the best.

Now, every Birds fan understands how nuts this sounds. The six-foot and 190-pound playmaker wasn’t just the best defensive back on Philly’s roster in 2020. He was arguably the best cornerback the Philadelphia Eagles have had on their defense in years. Not since the days of Asante Samuel have the Eagles defense had a game-changing presence in their secondary.

What would be the benefit of the Philadelphia Eagles trading ‘Big Play’?

So, the question is this? Why would the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office move on from a potential All-Pro cornerback? Keep in mind the fact that they just traded for him last season. The answer is simple. The Eagles’ plans have changed, and the change has been dramatic.

When the 2020 NFL regular season began, excitement ran through the City of Brotherly Love. The Birds had a healthy Carson Wentz and a team that was seemingly full of potential weapons to surround him. It only made sense to trade for a cornerback that was a dominant force, but gosh, Darius Slay is expensive.

The Philadelphia Eagles’ plans have completely changed.

So, with that being said, once you fast forward to 2021, things are night and day for the Philadelphia Eagles. Former head coach Doug Pederson and his staff have been fired, and that’s led to the assembly of a new coaching staff that will be spearheaded by first-time head coach Nick Sirianni. What’s even worse than that is the fact that the franchise quarterback, Carson Wentz, has been traded away to the Indianapolis Colts for a couple of draft picks.

Moving forward, fans and some of the media need to get on board with what the front office is doing. Philadelphia is in a complete team rebuild and needs to start over at just about every position. They’re reportedly moving on from DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery. That’s a start. Moving Slay assists this team in both fixing their current cap conundrum and getting younger.

This isn’t about the veteran cornerbacks’ play, as he was the best cover guy for the defense a season ago. This decision is all about starting over. If this team is serious about a youth movement, they can’t be casual about it.

Roseman and his staff need to take advantage of the 2021 NFL Draft, and if they have a chance to add draft capital by trading away veterans they need to consider doing so. ‘Big Play’ is arguably the best defensive player for the Birds and represents some of their best collateral. He’s also 30 though, and it’s hard to believe that he’d be better than he was a season ago. He might be just as good, but he won’t be better.