The Eagles had been with out Darius Slay throughout their most up-to-date loss after he underwent knee surgery. No agency restoration timeline is in place, however the All-Professional nook not too long ago supplied an replace on his well being standing.
When chatting with the media, Slay stated the knee difficulty he had been coping with dated all the best way again to 2019. After trying to proceed enjoying via it this season, his mobility dropped to 30%, resulting in the choice to go below the knife. Slay declined so as to add if would swimsuit up once more within the common season, however he stated he might be out there in time for the playoffs (h/t EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
Getting the five-time Professional Bowler again at any level can be a welcomed growth for a reeling Eagles protection, however a path is in place for Philadelphia to earn the highest spot within the NFC East with or with out him the remainder of the best way. Resting till the postseason would assist Slay’s restoration course of, however the workforce’s secondary may benefit from his return sooner than that.
Slay has had one other productive marketing campaign in 2023. The 32-year-old has collected 57 tackles, 14 move deflections and a pair of interceptions (one among which was returned for a landing). He has additionally delivered protection statistics roughly in step with his two most up-to-date campaigns, though the Eagles’ move protection has been a sore spot this 12 months. The workforce enters at present’s contest surrendering a mean of 255 yards per sport via the air, which ranks twenty seventh within the league.
The return of slot corner
Avonte Maddox will present a lift on the backend, and having Slay again no later than the postseason will give the Eagles one other starter because the workforce transitions to Matt Patricia handling play-calling responsibilities. With Slay having not been positioned on IR, no roster transaction might be wanted for him to return to the lineup.
