A Legit Corner

The Eagles finally brought in outside help for the secondary. They traded third and fifth round picks to Detroit to acquire CB Darius Slay. The Eagles gave Slay a contract extension of 3 years and $50M.

This was not a move that everyone loved. Slay is 29 and coming off a less than great season. The Eagles gave up two picks and then had to pay Slay big bucks. Why not just pay more to Byron Jones and keep the draft picks?

The Eagles like Slay. They tried to trade for him last October, but couldn’t work anything out. As I wrote yesterday, the best teams target specific players. Pay big bucks to guys that you like, on and off the field.

Slay is a talented cover corner. He also is a playmaker. Slay has 13 interceptions over the past three years. He has at least 13 passes defensed in every year as a full-time starter. Jim Schwartz prefers corners that can play the ball. He covets takeaways. That’s one area where Slay is a clear upgrade over Jones.

We can debate how good Slay is. We can argue whether the team should have gone harder after Jones instead of ending up with Slay. At the end of the day, Slay is a better CB than the Eagles have had in a while and he makes the team better.

Howie Roseman didn’t make this move lightly. I think he knows that he had to find an impact player for the secondary. Howie has been looking for several years and hasn’t had much luck. If this move fails, someone else could be looking for the next CB in a few years.

Howie obviously thinks Slay can be the guy the Eagles need. Schwartz is a believer as well.

The team will still take a CB in the draft. This secondary needs more than one player to get better. Slay gives them a foundational player to build around. That’s critical in the current NFL, where passing is king.

It probably doesn’t hurt that Slay fares well against Amari Cooper.

https://twitter.com/SharpFootball/status/1240499435425222656

It is going to be fun to finally watch a corner that can really cover. And make plays.

https://twitter.com/AdamLefkoe/status/1240492680234360832

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This was the only move today, but there were lots of rumors.

As I first reported on #Eagles Extra: I was told this morning — following the Slay trade agreement — that safety is a position the #Eagles are still looking to upgrade. The DE position, as others have said, is also something that could be addressed during the next few waves.

— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) March 19, 2020

Interesting. The team has Rodney McLeod and Jalen Mills at safety for now. Schwartz likes to use 3-safety sets so he could ask for another starting caliber player. This could be a cheap veteran to add to the mix. Or the Eagles could add a talented safety and project McLeod or Mills to the #3 role. There are still good options on the market. It will be interesting to see what kind of player the team goes after.

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There was a lot of talk today about the Eagles making a move for DE Yannick Ngakoue. This is one heck of a talented DE.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1239982331861127168

I find it hard to believe the Eagles would be able to pull that off. The Jaguars will want at least a first round pick for him. Maybe Howie dangles the 2021 first rounder and some other compensation.

Ngakoue is partially to blame for all the talk. Is he just stirring the pot? Is he genuinely interested in coming to Philly?

This feels like a long shot, but he is a dynamic pass rusher and  the Eagles do covet DL. Stay tuned on this one.

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