The Philadelphia Eagles made the biggest move of the offseason, landing the disgruntled Darius Slay from the Detroit Lions without parting with a first or second-round pick.
The Eagles have searched for an All-Pro quality cornerback and Slay gives the Birds a player that can now allow Jim Schwartz to dictate gameplan and formation towards the opposing offense while placing his other defensive backs in position for success.
The Ringer recently broke down the 22 most important players who changed jerseys this season and Slay landed high on the list.
Darius Slay
Old Team: Detroit Lions
New Team: Philadelphia Eagles
The Move: Traded for third- and fifth-round picksThe Eagles have needed cornerback depth since their Super Bowl win (and before that, too, if we’re being honest), but had ignored the problem with Band-Aid solutions. Rather than shell out a king’s ransom of two first-round picks for Jacksonville’s Jalen Ramsey, the Eagles waited until they could snag Slay for cheap. Slay is one of the best cover corners in football, and while he wasn’t spectacular under Lions head coach Matt Patricia, he figures to rebound with Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who was his head coach for his rookie year in Detroit. Philly has already given Slay a contract paying him $43 million over the next three years, so the team seems confident in his ability to contribute. For Detroit, this meant the team traded away its two best defensive backs in less than a year (they dealt Quandre Diggs to Seattle for a fifth-rounder in October) and didn’t get more than a third-rounder in return. This trade is a good example of good organizations getting better and bad organizations getting worse.
Slay should be recharged by the change of surroundings and he’s spent the entire offseason being motivated by the snubs on several cornerback rankings.
The Eagles should see the best of Darius Slay this season.
