Top 5 Philadelphia Eagles facing the most pressure in 2021
By David Esser
Darius Slay
The self-proclaimed “Big Play” artist himself, Darius Slay recorded one singular interception during his debut season with the Philadelphia Eagles. It was an extremely disappointing year for the former Detroit Lion, especially considering the lofty contract extension that he received during the 2020 offseason.
The Eagles pursued Slay to finally vill that void at CB1, and thus far, results have been less than promising.
Set to turn 31 in January, many have speculated that Slay is already on the road to regression, which isn’t a completely illogical take considering the way corners typically age in the NFL. Once that short-burst speed evaporates, it can become very challenging for DBs to hang with some of the younger wideouts around football.
There was also plenty of trade speculation surrounding Slay’s name this past offseason. The Eagles eventually restructured Slay’s contact to keep him around on a smaller cap hit, with the money spread out over multiple seasons. However, those discussions were held nevertheless.
Ultimately speaking, Slay just has to go out and produce this season. The secondary around him will likely be weak once again, but that shouldn’t affect his ability to hang with opposing team’s #1 wide receivers. More turnovers and less yards allowed need to become a commonplace for Slay in 2021, or he likely won’t be on the roster come 2022.