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Well, I wasn’t planning on writing a review of Darius Slay this year. But seeing as he was ‘cut’ and then ‘brought back’, and I’ve seen a lot of Slay vs. Bradberry analysis online, I thought I would give my thoughts! If you want to read my review of Bradberry, you can view it here. I came to the conclusion that I wouldn’t bring him back but I expected him to get quite a bit more money, so I am pleased with the contract.
Statistics
No surprises here, but the statistics show a very good cornerback. It is good to see him in the top 35 in tackles because this has been his weakness for a while. Honestly, I don’t think stats do much for a cornerback, but I do put some weight in PFF having him as the 4th best cornerback this year.
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Strengths
+ Some of his man coverage snaps this year were off the charts. Very sticky man coverage traits. His super power is how long he is able to stay in phase before flipping his hips and running. He ran the route for the receiver on outside breaking routes consistently such as comebacks
Slay is playing at SUCH a high level this season. The Steelers have good outside receivers but they didn't threaten Slay at all. All the Eagles 3 cornerbacks had excellent games. This was so nearly an INT. pic.twitter.com/vxQb7kRPHM
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 1, 2022
Again, just watch Slay backpedal and never turn and run. He was so patient! It takes balls to not turn and run quickly as defenders are always afraid of the big play but he trusted his instincts (and film study) and continued to stay in phase and covered Jefferson perfectly! pic.twitter.com/NXeNryzizN
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 21, 2022
+ Really good understanding of depth in zone coverage. Will bait quarterbacks into taking the cover 2-hole shot but won’t give them much room. Will explode forward and deal with shorter throws. Good understanding of situational football.
I said this a lot last year, but I remained really impressed by Eagles in zone coverage and their ability to pass off routes and create tight throwing lanes. Slay is in a great position but superb instincts by TJ Edwards to read Goff's eyes and make a play on the ball. pic.twitter.com/seE2ihS1YD
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 13, 2022
#12 The INT is also zone match and it's a fantastic play by Scott. He carries the #2 vertically until passing him off to Slay (who passes the post to the safety) but he crucially gets his eyes back on the QB so he can sink and take away the throw that Dalton is trying to fit in. pic.twitter.com/aw6BtEF7Ms
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 3, 2023
+ He played Justin Jefferson as well as I’ve seen any cornerback play him (along with Jaire Alexander)
Fantastic play by TJ Edwards (who was superb by the way) but just look at how long slay stays in his backpedal against Jefferson! He had 0 fear of getting beat over the top and was so patient which allowed him to close on the ball so quickly. It was so impressive. pic.twitter.com/3pp9RMUSJg
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 21, 2022
This is fun. Reddick & Graham (lol) drop into coverage. Late safety rotation to single high. TJ Edwards blows up the RB and Slay plays it perfectly against Jefferson one on one! pic.twitter.com/0PNE4L6xJ1
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) September 21, 2022
+ Very rarely gives up big plays. Doesn’t jump on double moves.
+ Fantastic understanding of playing to his coverage. He knows when he has help and when he doesn't
The Eagles coverage on vertical/intermediate routes has been so so tight all year. The secondary is playing so well and it seems so well coached. This is almost too easy for Slay who just mirrors the route the entire way knowing he has help over the top. pic.twitter.com/qfNCl8Sxbe
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 18, 2022
+ Really improved his effort and physicality in the run game this past 2 seasons
Credit Slay here for making the tackle. We saw this last week too, the 3 WR set opposite Slay forces him into the box as a run defender when he's in zone. I expect other teams to continue to do this against the Eagles defense. Suh gets moved here quite easily. pic.twitter.com/2pCspVpYmo
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) November 30, 2022
Weakness
- Gives up a few easy completions due to his slightly passive style. However, this is probably a fault of Gannon as much as Slay’s
It's always easy to blame Gannon but I think Slay didn't have his best game. Yes, I'm sure he's being told to play conservative, but he did give a lot of cushion to Hollywood Brown and was beaten a few times. I know the Eagles hate giving up big plays but it felt easy at times. pic.twitter.com/3YlJYk8Oeg
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) October 11, 2022
- Has improved his effort on tackling greatly since signing with the Eagles, but can still lack concentration
If I had to pick a weakness of this defense, it's still attacking the edges with the run game (especially using the QB against a 4man front) & asking the CBs to come up in run support. Slay is fantastic but he does lose concentration at times and can give up the edge. pic.twitter.com/AsSeEpDV8h
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) December 14, 2022
- Can be beaten at the catch point and in general by bigger more physical receivers. Has struggled with Mike Evans at times
Its a tough job as a DC against the Bucs when your best CB also gets beat by the opposing teams WR1. Didn't happen often (Slay played well) but you can't just put Slay on Evans and assume everything is fine. They are a really good offense. Again, cover 1 w/ late safety rotation. pic.twitter.com/t0AFVXbCQ9
— Jonny Page (@JonnyPage9) January 19, 2022
- Isn’t asked to press top receivers at the line of scrimmage very often but again, this is a fault of the scheme as much as Slay
Overall
Slay’s film was outstanding in 2021 and it was equally as good in 2022. He has been an elite cornerback for 2 years running now and shows no sign of slowing down. I think he’s underrated by the national media and even by quite a few Eagles fans. We all know he will start to decline at some point in the near future, but he has shown no signs of this so far.
At the time of writing this, we don’t have any details about whether he will be restructuring his contract or playing on his current contract. I have no idea when Slay will start to slow down but it’s fair to say that it’s unlikely he will play at this high level for another 2 years. The good news is that Slay’s game doesn’t rely on elite speed but whenever a defensive back loses half a step, it is hard for them to succeed in this league. If/when they do restructure Slay, I would be OK guaranteeing him a high amount of money this year and a reasonable amount next year, but I would not want to give him any real guaranteed money in year 3 when he is 35.
I know it’s not the most popular opinion, but as someone who has watched Slay for a long time and Bradberry closely last year, I think Slay is the better corner despite his age. If the Eagles had lost Slay and re-signed Bradberry, I can’t lie, I would have been disappointed. Bringing back Bradberry and keeping Slay is the best-case scenario. Slay-Bradberry-Maddox is a really good starting set of cornerbacks and I’m excited to watch Slay for another season.
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