Another Philadelphia Eagles secondary member may be on the way out. Darius Slay’s agent has been granted permission by the Eagles to seek a trade according to ESPN’s Dianna Russini. With Slay’s possible departure from the team how does the future of the Eagles secondary look?
Future Outlook
As of now the Eagles could possibly lose all four of the teams starting defensive backs. C.J. Gardner-Johnson posted a farewell Philly post on his Instagram and has removed Eagles safety from his social media bios. James Bradberry is a free agent who is looking to bring in a large contract after his successful prove it deal this season. Marcus Epps is a free agent, will they resign Epps with the emergence of Reed Blankenship’s rookie season? And now Darius Slay could possibly be dealt this offseason.
With all of that being said the an all-time great Eagles secondary could be very short lived. And Philadelphia may go back to what the fans know as normal with a bare secondary unit. The only starting member that is known to stay on the team is slot corner Avonte Maddox. He is a good piece to the puzzle but he isn’t a lockdown corner that you can throw on another teams best receiver.
It is unlikely that the Eagles lose all four of those players. Slay stated that he hopes to reach an agreement to stay in Philadelphia longterm. If the Eagles were to reach an agreement with Slay this would make the situation much easier to handle.
Important to remember though https://t.co/Qro8atDPDB
— Eagles Nation (NFC Champs) (@PHLEaglesNation) March 10, 2023
Having a true No. 1 corner makes the rest of the secondary look much better. This would also be important if the Eagles choose a cornerback in the first round of the NFL Draft. Slay could act as a mentor for a high draft pick.
Potential Draft Replacements
The Eagles may have to try to fill the secondaries holes in this years draft. Howie Roseman put the team in a good position for a situation like this with the Eagles owning two first-round picks (10,30).
The Eagles are linked to many cornerback prospects with the 10th pick. Some of which were lockdown corners at their respective college as Christian Gonzalez from Oregon and Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State.
Gonzalez will likely be the first corner to come off the board and deservingly so. The Oregon product locked down any receiver that came his way and would be a higher selection if it wasn’t for the amount of quarterback prospects in this years draft. If Slay stayed with the Eagles, Gonzalez would be a great second guy to match up with Slay.
If Gonzalez is taken before the Eagles can grab him, don’t be surprised if Philly takes Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State. Porter is a massive cornerback at 6’2. He followed other teams No.1 receiver throughout his career and has consistently took them out of the game. His big frame allows him to make up space if the receiver gets by him. Porter is clearly behind Gonzalez but would be a good second option if the Eagles go corner.
Go Birds!
