PHILADELPHIA — With the success of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the Philadelphia Eagles secondary, it’s easy to forget how well the veteran leader of the cornerback group has played in recent weeks.
In his 12th season at age 33, Darius Slay is playing at a level reminiscent of his All-Pro years. Slay’s play went unnoticed because he didn’t have any turnover-worthy plays that carry the nickname “Big Play Slay,” however the numbers tell a completely different story.
“I don’t think enough people talk about him, how well he’s playing, especially at 33,” DeJean said of Slay’s play. “I don’t want to take a shot at him, but he’s playing at a high level, which is great to see, it’s great for our defense.
“So it’s amazing to see his longevity, how he takes care of himself, to be able to play that long in the league.”
Slay has been locked in coverage since the bye week (Week 5). As the top defender in coverage, opposing quarterbacks targeting Slay are just 7 of 20 (35%) for 92 yards with a 43.8 passer rating. Slay doesn’t have an interception during that stretch, but he hasn’t given up a touchdown either.
Over the last two games, Slay has given up just one reception on eight pass attempts for nine yards.
Why is Slay finding the fountain of youth at 33? The young kids like Mitchell and DeJean keep him young.
“Everybody’s always positive for me. You know what I’m saying,” Slay said. “It’s always great to be around a lot of young guys, man, to keep me going. And then as always, it’s a competitive job, so you have to compete, too. So that’s normal.”
Mitchell and DeJean were also dominant in coverage during Slay’s run. Opposing quarterbacks are just 9 of 21 (42.9%) for 78 yards with no touchdowns and a 50.3 rating targeting Mitchell. DeJean allowed 25 of 37 passes (67.6%) for 161 yards and no touchdowns for a 70.9 rating as the primary defender in coverage.
The Eagles have one of the best pass defenses in the league, ranking first in yards per attempt allowed (6.1), second in pass yards per game allowed (173.2), fourth in opponents’ passer rating allowed (78.9) and fifth in opponents. completion rate (61.5%).
Mitchell and DeJean played a major role in that — and so did Slay. There’s a reason why the two rookie cornerbacks have done so well. Slay was there to guide them through the success and failures — even at 33.
“Man, everybody in this game goes through a lot of adversity and if you play the cornerback position, that’s where it comes in a lot, that’s where you got a lot of adversity because you have to always jump to the next play,” Slay said. “And I was in that position early in my career with a lot of adversity and had to find a way out of that mud. And I did.”
Those lessons still rub off on DeJean.
“He covered a lot of guys,” DeJean said. “So just hearing what he does with certain receivers. If they give him this, he counters with whatever it is. So just hearing from him how he works with receivers and kind of plays the game within the game. “
Slay’s influence goes beyond his play on Sunday. It helps that he excels in that area, too.
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