Tag: Darius Slay

Could the Seahawks pursue a trade for cornerback Darius Slay?

The Detroit Lions are reportedly shopping cornerback Darius Slay. Should the Seattle Seahawks try to reunite Slay with Quandre Diggs?

The Seattle Seahawks are expected to be in the market for a cornerback or two this offseason, after disappointing performances from Tre Flowers and the backups – Neiko Thorpe and Akeem King – in 2019.

While Shaquill Griffin was a Pro Bowler and the safety tandem of Bradley McDougald and Quandre Diggs proved to be well above-average, adding another bonafide stud on the outside would give Seattle a secondary that – while not quite the Legion of Boom – would be good enough to thrive in Pete Carroll’s cover-3 scheme.

Speaking of Diggs, it is his former teammate, Lions corner Darius Slay, that could be the missing piece to a formidable secondary in Seattle.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Lions are speaking to teams about a potential trade involving Slay.

While the acquiring team would have to pony up a new contract to acquire Slay’s services, and would take a $10.4 million dollar cap hit according to Spotrac, the Seahawks have plenty of cap space to get a deal done.

Slay and Diggs were very close while they were teammates in Detroit together, and there’s little doubt Slay would be a massive upgrade to this Seattle defense.

Slay capped off his third consecutive Pro Bowl season in 2019, racking up 13 passes defended, two interceptions and 46 combined tackles.

He was an All-Pro back in 2017 when he led the league with 26 passes defended and eight interceptions.

It’s unclear what Seattle would need to give up to acquire Slay, but considering how little they gave up for Diggs it’s possible they could get the duo at a relatively affordable price.

If that is the case, expect John Schneider to be all over this, as upgrading the secondary with a player like Slay is not an opportunity that comes around all that often, and it would allow the team to pour their remaining draft capital into other areas of need, namely the offensive and defensive lines and the wide receiver group.

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Report: Broncos tried to trade for Lions CB Darius Slay in 2019

Broncos GM John Elway tried to trade for Lions cornerback Darius Slay before the 2019 trade deadline. Denver might try again this spring.

Before the 2019 NFL trade deadline, the Denver Broncos were in talks with the Detroit Lions about a potential trade for cornerback Darius Slay, according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

Denver was willing to part with cornerback Chris Harris Jr. in the trade but Detroit also wanted a high draft pick, according to Klis. The two teams weren’t able to reach an agreement and Harris and Slay finished the 2019 season with the Broncos and Lions, respectively.

Slay is back on the trade block now and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Denver make another offer. The Lions “have spoken with multiple teams” about a potential Slay trade this offseason, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Slay’s potential new team will have to give him a new contract, ESPN reports.

Slay (6-0, 190 pounds) entered the league as a second-round pick out of Mississippi State in the 2013 NFL draft. The 29-year-old cornerback has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons and he led the league with eight interceptions in 2017.

Considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, Slay is scheduled to earn a base salary of $10 million in 2020 before becoming a free agent next spring, according to Spotrac.com. If traded to a new team, Slay will expect to receive a contract extension as part of the deal.

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Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, episode 141: Addressing trade rumors

Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast, episode 141: “Addressing trade rumors”, is now available to download and listen.

This week on the Detroit Lions Breakdown podcast the guys dive headfirst into all the trade rumors surrounding the team. Once they get their head above water, the guys address which ones to believe and which ones you should dismiss.

Listener’s questions tie into the trade talk but aren’t limited to just that. Other topics discussed are coaching staff openings, prospects in the upcoming draft, potential free agency moves, and potential roster construction during the offseason.

The DLB podcast is a weekly conversation with Lions Wire’s own Erik Schlitt and his co-host Joe Kania.

This week, the guys discuss:

Be sure to follow the Detroit Lions Breakdown Podcast (@LionsBreakdown) and it’s hosts Schlitt (@Erikschlitt) and Kania (@JoeKania_DLB) on Twitter, with a Facebook page on the way.

The podcast is available to listen at the DetroitLionsBreakdown.com website and is also available to download and subscribe to on multiple podcast platforms, including Itunes, Spotify, Google Play, Stitcher, among others.

Darius Slayton attempting to recruit Darius Slay to Giants

Darius Slayton spent a part of his Monday evening attempting to recruit CB Darius Slay to the New York Giants.

Could the New York Giants have both a Darius Slayton and a Darius Slay in 2020? Well, if the decision were up to the former, the answer would be yes.

Reports surfaced on Monday that Slay, an impending free agent cornerback, could be seeking upwards of $15 million annually, which sparked a debate in Detroit about whether or not he’s worth bringing back.

Some fans argued on Twitter that $15 million per season is entirely too high, instead suggesting a contract in the range of four years and $32 million.

Slay saw that suggestion and laughed it off, bluntly stating that he would leave Detroit if that were the offer he received.

Immediately upon reading that, Slayton, the Giants’ standout rookie receiver from 2019, chimed in and suggested Slay join him in New York, where they will have some of the most available cap space in the league — Slayton actually said “the most.”

The Giants have a ton of needs going into the new league year and secondary help is certainly among them. However, a highly paid cornerback may not be prudent given their investments in that position in recent years.

The Giants spent a first-round pick on DeAndre Baker in the 2019 NFL Draft and later added Corey Ballentine and Julian Love, who has since converted into a hybrid defensive back. A year prior the Giants also used a third-round supplemental draft pick on Sam Beal.

Slay would certainly help beef up the Giants’ secondary, but with many young talents already in tow and more desperate needs elsewhere, it’s hard to imagine general manager Dave Gettleman dumping $15 million annually on another cornerback.

But hey, kudos to Slayton for getting out there and selling New York.

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Darius Slay: Predicting his next contract, his future with the Lions and beyond

Darius Slay: Predicting his next contract, his future with the Detroit Lions and beyond

Don’t blame Darius Slay for believing he should be the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. And certainly don’t blame Slay for trying to get that in his next contract.

Don’t expect that type of contract offer to come from the Detroit Lions, either.

Slay is entering the final year of his 4-year, $48,150,000 contract extension he inked in July of 2016. His salary of just over $12 million a year currently ranks 14th among NFL cornerbacks.

The eye test will tell anyone that Slay is better than the 14th-best CB in the NFL over the last four years. That’s even true coming off a down season where he scored his lowest Pro Football Focus grades across the board since his rookie campaign back in 2013.

Slay has earned the “Big Play” nickname as one of the best playmaking and coverage corners in the NFL over the past few seasons. He’s a better player than Xavien Howard of the Dolphins, who is the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL at $15.05 million per year. He’s a more reliable player than Josh Norman of the Redskins, owner of the richest overall CB contract at $75 million. He’s certainly better than Trumaine Johnson, who makes $14.5 million a year and $72.5 million overall on a deal he signed in 2018.

But the Lions need to know better than to pay for what he’s done. That’s what the Redskins did in paying Norman, and they surely regret it. Heck, Washington benched Norman during their loss to the Lions this past season.

Slay’s next contract is only about what he will do during the life of that new contract, not the great play he’s provided for several seasons. That’s the reality of NFL economics. It’s a concept the Lions should know and have proven to practice in the past. See: Ndamukong Suh and Golden Tate. And the Lions were right on both fronts.

Is Slay worth $16 million a year (or more) after 2020, when he’ll be beyond 30 years old? It’s possible. I certainly don’t fault him for asking for that much. Slay, like all NFL players, is trying to maximize his earnings while he still can. If he doesn’t ask for it, he’ll never get it from the Lions or anyone else. Good for him for going after every last penny he can get.

But Slay needs to understand the Lions aren’t going to be the team that gives it to him. Nor should they, even though he’s been the team’s best defensive player for the last half of a decade and across multiple schemes and different coaches. The odds are extremely slim that Slay is going to get better at his age, and the Lions cannot afford to risk that kind of cap room and cash betting on 23 in a one-spin roulette wheel.

If it means trading him to get back some appreciable return, so be it. The return has to be higher, no, much higher than the compensatory pick — if those will even still exist under any new collective bargaining agreement — the Lions would get for letting Slay walk after the season and signing a huge deal elsewhere.

Just as Slay is right for asking for the most return he can get, the Lions would need to do the same. A first-round pick in 2020 must be the minimum price tag right now. My belief is that a motivated Slay playing for his last big payday is worth more in one year than a 3rd-round compensatory pick would ever deliver over the life of what the 98th player drafted in 2022 would contribute. I believe the Lions will feel the same, but that’s just my guess.

My prediction: the Lions shop Slay but don’t get the desired asking price. Slay plays the entire 2020 season in Detroit and does so without being a distraction. I strongly suspect he’ll get back to the All-Pro caliber player he was in 2017-2018, and then cash in with a lucrative contract (best guess: 2 years, $30.8 million fully guaranteed with a team option) somewhere else as a free agent in the winter of 2021. I’ll wish him well and still root for Slay, too.

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ESPN bold predictions forecast a big splash at CB for the Eagles

Eagles predicted to make a big splash at CB during free agency

The Philadelphia Eagles have a bevy of different positions to address this offseason, but the one consensus among experts and analysts is that changes need to come in the secondary, and in a huge way.

In a survey from the guys at ESPN NFL Nation, Eagles writer Tim McManus predicts Howie Roseman and the Eagles will make a huge splash at the cornerback position.

Both starting corners from 2019, Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby are free agents. While it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mills were brought back into the fold, Philadelphia will want to import a proven difference-maker to hold down one side of the field. The Cowboys’ Byron Jones and the Broncos’ Chris Harris Jr. are among the top projected free-agent corners. Whether it be via free agency or a trade, Philly will make some waves. — Tim McManus

Guys like Logan Ryan, Darius Slay, Bradley Roby, and others could be in play as well. The Eagles don’t need to break the bank for a cornerback, but they indeed need an upgrade at cornerback and a guy on the roster that sparks fear in the opposing quarterback.

Detroit Lions’ DB Darius Slay has high praise for Jeff Okudah

Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay has apparently already reached out to Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah and has high praise for him.

The 2020 NFL Draft is still a few months away, but with the chatter, mock drafts, and scouting reports are all starting to ramp up. You can bet it’ll only become more front and center after all the Super Bowl shenanigans pass by this weekend.

For Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah, that means he’s going to be dissected, talked about, and put under a microscope from here all the way through the night of the draft on Thursday, April 23.

In fact, he’s already being talked about as an extremely high draft pick. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both have him going No. 3 overall to the Lions as the best DB available in this year’s draft. So, of course, the local media in Detroit are already starting to get a feel for what type of player Okudah is (though it could just place a phone call to Jim Harbaugh).

On that note, the Detroit Free Press caught up with All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay at the Super Bowl in Miami to ask his opinion of what he sees from the talented Ohio State corner. And, in a bit of a surprise, Slay said he has already reached out to Okudah.

“I talked to him already,” said Slay. “He’s a hell of a player man, I watched his film. I watched some of his games — man he competes at a high level. There’s a lot of stuff I can help him with and make him a great player.”

That kind of sounds like Slay is hoping the Lions might be going that direction like everyone thinks, but it’s certainly not set in stone. Regardless, Slay plans to stay in touch with Okudah whether he is selected by Detroit or not.

When asked to break down Okudah’s game, Slay had some extremely high praise for him.

“You can see that he makes plays man,” Slay said. “He’s a ballplayer — competitive. I see his feet. He does a lot of technique that I use, you know, just moving my feet good and staying on top, making plays on the deep ball. You can tell he takes away the deep ball first easily, but with him being so quick and so long and aggressive, he takes away a lot of other stuff.”

That’s pretty significant comment coming from a guy that should know.

Boy, if the Lions do pull the trigger on Okudah, it would have the potential to set up quite the tandem at the cornerback spot. On top of that, it looks like he could have an advocate and mentor by way of one of the league’s best corners to help him along.

 

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Pete Carroll brings competition Wednesday to Pro Bowl

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll hosted a basketball competition among Pro Bowl players, continuing the competition Wednesday tradition.

Always compete. It has been the mantra of the Pete Carroll-led Seattle Seahawks for just over a decade now, and love him or hate him, it has helped lead this team to two Super Bowl victories and, to date, the team’s only win.

It has also spurned a culture of constant competition, which can sometimes get very heated but often leads to fun camaraderie.

Carroll decided to take some fun aspects of his competitive culture with him to the Pro Bowl, which he and the rest of the Seahawks staff are coaching this upcoming weekend.

In a video posted by the Seahawks twitter account, Carroll can be seen leading a group of NFC Pro Bowlers – Michael Thomas and Jared Cook of the Saints, Chandler Jones of the Cardinals and Darius Slay of the Lions, in a basketball shooting competition in the team meeting room.

Carroll’s fun, but competitive, culture has often been a favorite among players, which could help this team recruit high profile free agents to the Emerald City.

For now, Carroll will focus on having fun and interacting with the best of the best this week, leading up to the actual Pro Bowl game which will kick off at 12:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, January 26.

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Terry McLaurin earned the respect of All-Pro CB Darius Slay on Sunday

McLaurin faced the toughest test of his career on Sunday against CB Darius Slay, but he turned some heads and earned respect along the way.

A few years down the road, we will likely look back on last week’s matchup and wonder how we got so lucky to witness such greatness.

Obviously, I’m not talking about the matchup between the Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions, but rather the one between WR Terry McLaurin and CB Darius Slay.

Slay has become one of the best cover corners in the NFL over the past few years, and his ability to shadow an opposing teams’ No. 1 option and remove them from the equation is rarely seen. On the other side of the ball, McLaurin has proven that he is among the best receivers in the league, and his rookie showcase has been humming along, despite an abysmal offense in Washington.

In the Redskins 19-16 win on Sunday, it was tough to say who really had the upper hand, which in retrospect can be considered a win for McLaurin, as he was expected to be completely shut down by Slay. The All-Pro corner made sure to let it be known after the fact as well.

The stats won’t show that McLaurin had a great game — he finished with five catches for 72 yards — but rookie QB Dwayne Haskins was wildly inaccurate, and missed his former college teammate several times on the day.

With a time-tested veteran like Slay on the field, expectations for high-level play were set early on. McLaurin proved that he could compete with one of the best defenders in the league, and he gained the vet’s respect along the way.

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The Honolulu Blueprint: Keys to a Lions victory over Washington

The Honolulu Blueprint: Identifying several key strategies the Lions will need to do, in order to be victorious over Washington in Week 12.

The Detroit Lions (3-6-1) are banged up as they prepare to travel to Washington (1-9) in Week 12, and they’ll need to follow this week’s Honolulu Blueprint if they want to come away with a victory.

Let’s take a look at the key components the Lions need to take advantage of in Week 12.

Driskel needs to keep it simple, play to strengths

Matthew Stafford (back) will miss yet another game and that means the Lions will call on Driskel once again to step in and step up.

Driskel has played well the last two weeks, producing through the air and on the ground. He’s thrown for 478 yards, three touchdowns, and only one interception, while his 88 rushing yards, and a score, have been very problematic for defenses.

No one will be mistaking Driskel for Stafford anytime soon, but he won’t need to be in this game. Driskel’s priorities should be to keep active feet, limit turnovers, and take what the defense is giving him.

Keep Bo Scarbrough rolling

From practice squader to starter in the 24-hours leading up to last week’s game, Scarbrough made the most of his opportunity with the Lions. He scored on only this third NFL touch:

At the end of the day, Scarbrough’s numbers may have appeared average, finishing the game with 14 carries for 55 yards (3.9 yards per carry average) and the above touchdown, but when you look closer, there were some impressive stats — specifically, yards after contact:

Per Pro Football Focus, Scarbrough is averaging an impressive 4.07 yards after contact.

Bottom line: don’t get caught up in the total yards rushing, it’s how he’s producing those yards that matter. He brings a huge missing piece to the Lions backfield and one that they need to keep working if they hope to find success on the ground.

Get creative with pressure

Washington’s rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins hasn’t quite acclimated to NFL pressure. The first-round pick was announced the starter less than three weeks ago, and his two games as a starter, he has thrown 57 passes and been sacked 10 times.

The Lions will be without their top two defensive line pressure creators in Trey Flowers (concussion) and Da’Shawn Hand (ankle). Because of this, coaches will need to get creative in how they scheme up pressure.

One of the most impactful ways they have found success doing this is by disguising where the pressure is coming from and bringing linebackers from non-traditional spots. With injuries upfront — and Tracy Walker (knee) also out — expect the Lions to deploy a lot of linebacker sets, which should afford them the opportunity to utilize these pressure schemes.

Shut down Haskins top option in McLaurin

Haskins and fellow rookie Terry McLaurin (3rd round pick) were a formidable duo at Ohio State a year ago and their chemistry has carried over to the NFL. On the season, McLaurin has 566 yards receiving, more than double the next receiving target on the team.

There’s little doubt McLaurin is Washington’s top receiving option, and when it’s this obvious, it’s almost a foregone conclusion he’s going to draw Darius Slay. If Slay can take away Washington’s top option, it could force Haskins into uncomfortable situations and that means opportunities for turnovers.

On the year, 79 passes, Haskins has thrown five picks. At the same time, the Lions have gone five weeks without an interception. This could be a prime opportunity to end the drought.

Overcome the loss of Agnew on special teams

Lions kick and punt returner Jamal Agnew will miss this game with an ankle injury and that means an opportunity for someone else to step up.

Last week after Agnew went down, Marvin “all I do is catch 40-yard passes” Hall filled in returning punts — there were no kick returns after Agnew left the game but the expectation is Hall or rookie Ty Johnson will line up there this week.

The Lions shouldn’t have a problem replacing Agnew’s 4.34 speed — Hall and Johnson can also each run sub 4.4 — but can they replace his production? Last year in Atlanta, Hall returned 26 kickoffs for a 23.7-yard average, roughly 3 yards less than Agnew. Johnson has never returned a kick in the NFL but he took two to the house against Michigan and Ohio State.

The Lions have the potential to overcome the loss of Agnew — which is more than can be said in years past — but they need to show it on the field.