Eagles Darius Slay Will Be Missed On And Off Field

PHILADELPHIA - General manager Howie Roseman brought in Darius Slay to be the answer to fixing an Eagles pass defense that had begun to slide after winning Super Bowl LII in 2018. It’s probably safe to say Slay exceeded all expectations.

He made three Pro Bowls after Roseman made a deal with the Detroit Lions to bring him to town after the 2019 season, appeared in two Super Bowls, and won a championship ring during his five seasons in an Eagles uniform. Slay became the shutdown corner the Eagles had lacked for a very long time.

The pieces in the secondary rarely stayed the same during that span. He started opposite Avonte Maddox in his first season, then Steven Nelson for a year after that, before James Bradberry for two seasons, and, last year, rookie Quinyon Mitchell.

The safety spot was a revolving door, too, with Kevin Byard, Jalen Mills, Rodney McLeod, and Anthony Harris passing through during his time. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was here for a year, left for a year, then came back last season.

It’s more settled now with Reed Blankenship and Gardner-Johnson at safety and young but immensely talented players at cornerback in Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, but Slay always brought calm in the turbulent churn and chaos each change brings. He was the one constant, the calm on the back end.

He turned 34 on New Year’s Day, though you’d never know it. He played at a high level throughout the season and believes he can play one more, which would be his 13th season.

On the podcast of Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, Slay said he would consider returning to Detroit, where his career began as a second-round selection, a pick after the Eagles took Zach Ertz 35th overall in the 2013 draft.

Though Slay is designated a post June 1 cut for financial reasons, the Eagles will allow him to start shopping around for other teams.

There’s probably a team out there who would love to have him in their locker room. He was good inside the Eagles’ locker room, after all. His humor and presence were all noted by veterans and rookies alike.

Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, Jordan Davis — Eagles defenders from left to right: Tarron Jackson, Brandon Graham, Darius Slay, and Jordan Davis | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

DeJean said he and Mitchell called him “dad” sometimes - not out of disrespect, but just the opposite. His locker was next to Mitchell, and one time, jokingly said that Mitchell came out of his mom ready to play cornerback in the NFL when asked if the rookie was ready to play in the NFL.

There was another instance, where Slay had a gas tank sitting next to his locker. Asked about it, he said defensive backs coach Christian Parker gave it to him and Slay said you can see there’s not much gas left in it.

His locker room humor and presence will be missed. If this is the last we will see of Slay in an Eagles uniform, because there could be the possibility that he could return on a cheaper deal.

He loved his time in Philly. He talked about how much the organization did for him and how he had to come to the Eagles after seven years with the Detroit Lions to find that kind of success. He also understood his role was to pay it forward to the younger players, and he relished that. Just how much? Well, here was his answer after Mitchell made the first interception of his career, and it came in the end zone during the Eagles’ wild card win over Jordan Love and the Packers.

“I was so happy, I cried almost, but I couldn’t shed a tear on the field because I don’t want people taking pictures,” he said. “It was great to see that. My boy, he’d been trying to. He finally got one in the breadbasket, so I know it don’t count on his (regular-season) record, but this is way bigger, to get a playoff pick in a big-time moment to end the game … I’m happy to be his big brother, to mentor him. But he showed his ability to play at a high level.”

Slay was a realist, too, and could see the possibility that his release could happen.

“I’ve played a long time,” he said in the days leading up to the Eagles Super Bowl LIX win over the Kansas City Chiefs. “This is year 12, so hopefully it’s not my last game with the Eagles, but if it is, that’s all right, but I did a lot for the organization, the organization has done a lot for me, and I’m happy where we’re at.”

More NFL: Eagles Post-Combine Draft Goes Heavy In Trenches, Just Like Howie Roseman Likes