Darius Slay Handicaps the Eagles' Young CB Competition
PHILADELPHIA - If history is a guide, the Eagles starting cornerback opposite Darius Slay is probably not on the roster yet.
That said, at the start of the offseason program, the organization continues to talk up a group of young cornerbacks headlined by 2021 fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson and a couple of trade pickups who were first selected elsewhere in the same draft class: the lengthy Tay Gowan and Kary Vincent Jr.
“Those guys have a great opportunity this year and we believe in those guys," head coach Nick Sirianni said back when discussing the trio and another young CB, Mac McCain, in March at the league meetings.
"We believe in the skillsets that they have, we believe in the competitiveness, the toughness, the character, the football IQ, the love of football that those guys have and I’m really excited to see how that plays out."
What isn’t a question mark on the defense at CB is veteran Pro Bowl threat Darius Slay and emerging slot option Avonte Maddox.
“We obviously have two great veterans with Avonte (Maddox) and with Slay, then we have four young guys that are vying for a position.," Sirianni said. "What a battle that’s going to be this year to be able to see who steps up and takes that position. I’m excited for those guys.”
Last year veteran Steve Nelson was opposite Slay and was competent if unspectacular after signing two days before the start of training camp.
This time around the Eagles’ young CBs will be attempting to build a case so that GM Howie Roseman doesn’t feel the need to bring in another veteran late in the process.
"You have guys on this team right now that a lot of people aren’t talking about that have that chip on their shoulder and want to show they can play," veteran defensive end Brandon Graham said. "I know people are talking we didn’t get this guy, that guy, a safety, or corner, this and that, but I feel like we got the guys in this room that can do it."
McPhearson is expected to be the de facto starter when on-field OTAs start later this month and will likely be pushed by Gowan, who was a sixth-round pick by Arizona before moving to Philadelphia in the Zach Ertz trade.
The Eagles wanted Gowan late in the 2021 draft but were beaten to the punch by the Cards.
Slay, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, handicapped some of the participants while speaking at the NovaCare Complex on Wednesday.
"There’s always competition," he said. "Shoot there’s competition with me, also. Everybody out here competing for a position so I’m just trying to do my best job helping everybody prepare and making sure everybody ready to go.”
When asked about McPhearson, Slay claimed the Texas Tech product via Penn State was “ready.”
“Oh he’s ready,” the veteran CB said of McPhearson, who played 179 defensive snaps as a rookie last season. “We’ve got a lot of trust in that room, a lot of belief.”
Gowan might be the dark horse, though, because he’s got the length defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon covets on the outside at 6-foot-1, along with 4.49 speed.
“All of them are athletic,” Slay said of the young CBs on hand. “They’re athletic and they understand. That’s the important thing about this game as a cornerback. You’ve got to win at listening.”
Slay is willing to help but sometimes young players aren’t receptive to thinking they need any aid.
“What people don’t understand is the hardest thing is to ask another man how to do something,” Slay said. “And those guys don’t mind asking me what I need to do to get better.
“That shows that they’re in the mood to learn, to be the best they can. I tell them I’m an open book. I’ll help you do whatever it is to get you to where you need to go. Because I ain’t going to play for long. So I need somebody to fill my shoes.”
Graham also noted Slay's influence on the younger CBs.
"We got Slay back there that’s helping the boys that a lot of guys are learning from," Graham noted. "That holds well because they see him working and they’re learning each and every day, his instincts, what he’s thinking on certain plays, and why he’s making certain plays.
"Those guys are going to step in once we get to training camp and you’re going to be talking about them. There won’t be a drop-off. You won’t care about who we didn’t get because we already got him."
Graham and Slay are on the same page, one that reads unproven doesn’t mean incapable.
“We’ve got a good coach [in Dennard Wilson], a guy kind of very detailed," said Slay. "I make it simple for [the young players]. I tell them man, just to do their job at the highest and best of their ability.
“Nobody asking you to do extra or extra more. Just try to do your job the best way that you can.”
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
