On Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, the Eagles made a splash by trading for Lions Pro Bowl and former all pro cornerback Darius Slay. This is a massive addition to a struggling Eagles secondary and defense as a whole.
The Eagles were able to acquire Slay from the Lions with a 2020 3rd round and 5th round draft choice. The general consensus, especially among Lions fans, is that this was a steal of a trade for Philadelphia. The Lions were probably looking for a bigger return while also being able to get Slay out of Detroit as safe as possible. This led to Howie Roseman offering less than expected for Slay. It was a good move from the Eagles standpoint.
As part of the trade, The Eagles are extending Darius Slay to a 3 year 50 million dollar deal with 30 million guaranteed. This will last Slay until he’s around 31 or 32 years old. This deal makes Slay the highest paid cornerback in the league, breaking the record just set by Byron Jones days ago. A great deal for Slay and a reasonable one for Philly.
The Eagles should not get comfortable though, there are some concerns. My biggest one is the system the Eagles defense runs by. We are primarily a zone coverage team. Meaning corners play yards off of the receiver. A big reason our secondary is so terrible. Star corners like Nnamdi Asomugha and Byron Maxwell were ruined by this system, Slay becoming like them is certainly a concern. Another concern is Slay’s age. He is 29 years old and aging. On an Eagles team that needs youth, his age is a concern for the future, but overall he’s a good fix for a big problem for the next 3 years.
