Darius Slay, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
Darius Slay struggled in 2019, of that there is no doubt. He gave up 14.1 yards per reception, and according to grading from Pro Football Focus his coverage grade of just 56.9 was his worst since his rookie year, and that placed Slay 92nd in the NFL among cornerbacks.
But do not be fooled by recent history. Slay can still play, and he can be the man coverage cornerback the Eagles desperately need. He has 82 pass breakups since 2015, more than any other cornerback in the NFL. He has a great ability to click-and-close on the catch point, which leads to that high number of PBUs.
That fits extremely well with how Jim Schwartz uses his cornerbacks. Schwartz loves to keep his cornerbacks in off-man coverage alignments. Giving up short throws, preventing against vertical routes, and trusting his corners to break on the ball and disrupt at the catch point.
Such a playing style is ideal for Slay’s skill-set. Look at this series of plays from Slay put together by Eagles’ writer Michael Kist, paying particular attention to the Pick Six and the PBU against the Cardinals:
Darius Slay thirst reel for your Feel Good Friday (graphics via @KlipDraw) – pic.twitter.com/DIwzFYwr7T
— Michael Kist (@MichaelKistNFL) February 21, 2020
Slay’s ability to drive on the catchpoint is ideal for Schwartz’s coverage schemes. He is in position to have a huge rebound in 2020.