Everyone was waiting for the Eagles receivers to race. Maybe it should have been the cornerbacks.
When Philadelphia traded for Darius Slay, the team knew exactly what they were getting. A shutdown cornerback, with quick feet and steely eyes, plus a confident swagger. Slay — never call him Darius — is also quite the trash talker in the locker room and he loves reminding his teammates that he’s the quickest in the room.
“He always goes, yeah, you like number three in the room, number two in the room, with quick feet … but you’ll get there,” said fellow starting cornerback Avonte Maddox. “We always teasing each other about who got quicker feet. We always push each other and make each other better.”
Maddox was laughing as he spoke because Slay’s influence has made him a noticeably better player, in all aspects of the game. He’s learned how important eye placement is to avoid getting beat on double moves. The key is “to look the receiver in the eye as your driving and taking two steps to him.”
“I’ve been working on my eyes,” said Maddox, crediting both Slay and new defensive backs coach Marquand Manuel for teaching him. “That’s the big importnat thing right now.”
Slay and Maddox have also worked extensively after practices on how to get in and out of breaks with receivers, staying at the top of the route, and not dropping your hips too soon. Maddox has the utmost respect for Slay — although that doesn’t mean he’s slower.
“I’m number one,” Maddox said. “Two is between Darius and Cre’Von [LeBlanc], them two dudes. I’m number one.”
Avonte Maddox says Darius Slay teases him about being the “No. 2 or No. 3 fastest” CB on the team. Avonte says no way, “I’m No. 1.”
Here’s Maddox talking about Slay’s influence. He’s super quick, largely due to using his “great eyes” to make up ground. #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
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Slay Ready for ‘Talented’ Terry McLaurin
The assumption is that Slay will shadow the opposition’s top receiver week in and week out. In Week 1, it’s Terry McLaurin and the shutdown cornerback is ready to attack that matchup like Cheez Wiz on a Philly steak — assuming that’s the gameplan, of course. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has been tight-lipped.
“Whatever the gameplan needs to be is what it needs to be,” Slay said. “So if I need to be there, then I’m going to be there. Whatever coach design up for it, then I’m going to get to work.”
And here’s Darius Slay talking about his possible battle/matchup with Washington WR Terry McLaurin. He called him the second-toughest guy (Keenan Allen) he faced in 2019.
#Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Slay held McLaurin to 72 yards on five catches (no touchdowns) in their lone battle in 2019 and he put a ton of respect on the rookie’s name after the game. He called McLaurin his second-toughest cover outside of the Chargers’ Keenan Allen. McLaurin’s ability to stretch the field can be game-changing, as the Eagles found out the hard way last year in Week 1.
“I just know what type of player he is and how talented he is,” Slay told reporters on Thursday. “I think he’s a very talented guy. He can stretch the field. He’s very good at it. He competes on every play. That’s what I learned about him most during the game [last year] and watching him this offseason.”
Maddox ‘Up to Challenge’ of Top WRs
Maddox should see his workload increase ten-fold with Slay locking down one side of the field. The general rule of thumb around the NFL is to throw it at the “other guys” and not the “shutdown cornerback.”
Well, Maddox is firmly the “other guy” on the Eagles as he embarks on his first year starting on the outside. He has mostly been used as a Swiss Army knife in the Eagles’ secondary in his first two seasons.
“It’s exciting to get to play all these positions in the NFL,” Maddox told reporters on Thursday. “I never thought I’d be playing as many as I am but it’s definitely comfortable getting back out there to where I used to be in college.”
No cornerback allowed fewer yards per snap in coverage than Avonte Maddox in 2018
The fourth-round pick was a starter on the outside during his college years at Pittsburgh, so it’s not a new position. Maddox has thrived in that role before and he welcomes the challenge of NFL quarterbacks targeting him.
“I’m up to that challenge,” Maddox said. “That’s a chance for me to make plays and show the world what I got.”
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New Eagles Starting CB Says He’s ‘No. 1 Quickest in the Room’