What loss of cornerback Darius Slay means to Eagles
With the release of No. 1 cornerback Darius Slay, the Philadelphia Eagles are continuing the retooling of their NFC-winning roster.
On Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that the Eagles will jettison Slay after both sides were unable to agree on a restructuring of his contract. Slay will officially become a free agent on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, the start of the 2023 league year.
Slay was entering the last year of his three-year, $50 million contract.
Slay is the fifth defensive player whom the Eagles have lost in free agency.
T.J. Edwards (Bears), Javon Hargrave (49ers), Marcus Epps (Raiders) and Kyzir White (Cardinals)-- all starters from the Eagles NFL-best passing defense -- have signed elsewhere on multi-year deals.
With Slay and Epps gone and C.J. Gardner-Johnson currently on the open market, the Eagles will likely have a new-look secondary next season.
Next to Bradberry and Avonte Maddox, young options such as Zech McPherson and Josiah Scott could compete for bigger roles.
The Eagles also have four draft picks in the top 100 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Devon Witherspoon (Illinois), Joey Porter (Penn State) and Christiian Gonzalez (Oregon) are ranked as the three best corners in the draft by Pro Footbal Focus.
Slay, a 32-year-old five-time Pro Bowler, played the three seasons in Philadelphia after spending his first seven years with the Detroit Lions. Given his past production and age, plenty of teams may show interest in the one-time All-Pro corner.
In good news for Eagles fans, Philadelphia has re-signed starting corner James Bradberry and veteran defensive end Brandon Graham.
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