[jwplayer dR50zEr6]
Darius Slay made another Pro Bowl in 2019 but NFL analysts and experts all agreed that the shutdown cornerback experienced a down year with the Lions last season.
Slay was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, given a new contract, a new jersey number, and a new outlook on postseason play. With the offseason disrespect fueling him, ESPN.com named the cornerback as the Eagles bounce-back candidate for the 2020 NFL season.
Philadelphia Eagles
Darius Slay, CB
PFF overall grade in 2019: 56.4What went wrong: From 2014 to 2018, Slay was one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, ranking as the fourth-most-valuable corner over that span. His grade slipped some under Lions coach Matt Patricia, largely because of the scheme. Detroit plays a significant amount of man coverage, which resulted in Slay facing far more single-coverage targets than other NFL corners. That invited more opportunities for wideouts to beat him and subsequently lowered his grade. Still, he shadowed the NFL’s best receivers fairly well and continued to display a knack for being around the ball. — PFF
Outlook for 2020: There are a few factors to consider when evaluating Slay’s “down” 2019 season: His relationship with Patricia was on the rocks, trade winds were swirling around him, and he was playing a lot of straight-up man coverage against the opponents’ best receivers. Jim Schwartz’s defensive scheme will offer more zone concepts for Slay, who is happy and motivated to prove that he is still one of the elite corners in the game. — Tim McManus
Slay will be surrounded by pass rushers in Philadelphia and with Jim Schwartz dictating coverage and defense, the cornerback should return to the top of the defensive back rankings.
[vertical-gallery id=637836]
[lawrence-related id=638871,638844,638796,638861]