The Eagles were eyeing Darius Slay for a long time. In March, they finally got him for the cost of a third-round pick, a fifth-round pick, and a brand new three-year, $50MM deal. We heard all the way back in January that upgrading the secondary was a priority for Philly, and it looks like they could change their style of play a bit on defense. The Eagles traditionally play strictly zone under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, without a number one corner shadowing the opponent’s top receiver. Slay apparently wants to change that. “I love the challenge,” Slay said of shadowing during his introductory press call, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com.
“I kind of ask for it a lot because the fact that I want the game on me, and I want to help win the game, and if the best route to go about it is me traveling with a guy, then I’ll do it,” he continued. “I’ve been doing it the past four or five years,” the former Lion explained, “and I’ve been very, very successful at it. If they need me to continue to do it, that’s what I’ll continue to do.” Most observers seemed to agree that the Mississippi State product’s play dropped off a little bit last season as he dealt with injury, but the Eagles’ new top corner rejected that assertion. “I had a great year, in my opinion,” Slay said of 2019. “I think I played freaking fantastic. … It was dang sure good enough to make a Pro Bowl third season in a row.”
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Cowboys are still waiting to close an extension with starting quarterback Dak Prescott, and while those negotiations continue they’re apparently taking a look at some of the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class. Dallas owner Jerry Jones conducted a video interview with Oklahoma passer Jalen Hurts, via a post on the team’s Instagram page. The Cowboys’ post offers a cool behind the scenes look at what the pre-draft process is looking like for teams in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hurts is expected by many analysts to go off the board sometime in the second or third-round, which would be pretty early for the Cowboys to be taking a backup. If they do end up picking Hurts and still don’t have a deal done with Prescott, that would certainly raise a lot of eyebrows.
- Yesterday we passed along word that the Bears were planning on using free agent acquisition Germain Ifedi at guard, and now we have the details on his contract. Ifedi got a $137.5K signing bonus and a $910K base salary on his one-year deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. We figured Ifedi didn’t get too much, but this is still pretty cheap for a 25-year-old with versatility who has started 60 games the past four seasons. A first-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2016, Ifedi became a full-time starter but always underwhelmed and never lived up to his draft status. He played both tackle and guard extensively for Seattle.
- In case you missed it, the Seahawks may only be willing to pay between $13-15MM for Jadeveon Clowney.
Let’s hope that Dallas raises a lot of eyebrows end of this month.
Dak is no mahomes but the guy threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 30 tds with solid running ability I don’t get why people trash on him like he’s Mitch trubiski
Basically because a lot of people are morons
It’s because of the star on the side of his helmet.
Ding ding ding
Dak’s stats in 2019 …
In 8 wins:
180/258, 69.8%, 2375 yards, 22 TD, 4 Int, 120.5 QB rating, 32.3 pass attempts/game
In 8 losses:
208/338, 61.5%, 2527 yards, 8 TDs, 7 Int, 83.8 QB rating, 42.3 pass attempts/game
The 8 wins came in 6 games against teams picking 2-5 in the 2020 draft (ranked 25, 27, 30, and 32 on defense) and two 9-7 teams at home. The Cowboys were 8-8 playing in the WORST division in football.
Highest paid QB in the NFL? No Thanks, fools gold. Dallas can trade for Andy Dalton and go 9-7/8-8
This right here…good data
Yes yes and more yes…..but don’t tell the cowboys that….they need to destroy their cap by massively overpaying for an average QB.
The stats you give are good but don’t paint the whole picture. Last time I checked a team also consists of a defense, special teams, and coaches. Last year those three checked out. If you don’t like Dak and don’t think he’s worthy then try going back into the past and name all the excellent quarterbacks the Cowboys rolled out between Aikman and Romo. Maybe that’ll make you appreciate Prescott a little more.
Anthony Wright, Quincy Carter, Vinnie Testaverde, Drew Henson, Drew Bledsoe, just to name a few off the top of my head. The franchise as a whole was a Shi* Show for close to 10 years after Jimmy left. Jerrah was drafting bad and making boneheaded trades almost annually in those Barry Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, years. So the fact that the franchise struggled to find a competent QB for those seasons shouldn’t surprise anyone. A Blind Bozo Egomaniac was running the team into the ground back then. Thank god he’s kinda delegating a little bit as of late.
I don’t appreciate what Andy Dalton did in Cincinnati, I don’t appreciate David Carr’s body of work and I don’t don’t appreciate Dak Prescott one bit. Take away his rookie season (when I would say he took the league by surprise) he’s basically a
.500 QB, with a good/great supporting cast, I don’t feel he is an elite QB that can raise the talent level of people around him, and I know he’s not worthy of being the highest paid QB in the NFL.
Eli Manning was literally a .500 qb and people think he should be in the hall of fame…
I have never seen anyone suggest Eli should be in the hall of fame.
Dak has the second most wins in the nfl behind Tom Brady since 2016. That’s even better data.
Yes, this ck. The man consistently puts his team in position to win, despite wide receiver by committee talent supporting him, despite a banged up Cooper, despite a defense that can’t stop anyone when it matters. In last year’s GB game, the Dallas D made Aaron Jones look like the second coming of Gale Sayers, giving up FOUR TDs to him. The Cowboys D NEVER generates turnovers either. Hopefully the coaching change will finally address that.
As for Aaron Rodgers, he’s a shell of his former self and doesn’t scare anyone these days.
Aaron Rodgers is 7-2 all time v Dallas including 2 playoff wins. Whatever you say Earm.
We’re not talking about all time records, but you know that. Open your eyes, Rodgers ain’t what he used to be.
Rodgers is still pretty darn good! Open your eyes earm
All that regular season success sure has payed off in the postseason right? Duk shines brightest when the lights are dimmest.
I bet Duk has a lot of wins in the pre-season as well.
I think you’re confusing Dak with Rodgers.
Rodgers might have gotten to the NFC Championship game last year, but it was his fourth straight poor performance in that game, with six touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 78.0 passer rating in those contests. GB won the NFCC game in 2010 despite AR, but they’ve lost the last 3, getting shellacked in the last 2 (’16 & ’19).
So much for shining bright when the lights are brightest …
The man’s best days are well behind him.
“Rodgers might have gotten to the NFC Championship Game last year, but”
Hey Earm at least he gets to the dance. Stop comparing your boy Dak to SB winners, MVPs, and future HOF QBs. It’s laughable, compare him to likes David Carr and Andy Dalton, and maybe then I can take you seriously.
Bro, how about you actually read my comments and comprehend them correctly and then maybe I will take you seriously. How in the world did I ever compare Dak to Rodgers or any other SB winning QB? All I said was Rodgers perhaps could have won with that team last year but even as great as he is who knows. They still had that coaching staff and that defense. It’s a team sport. Dak doesnt play defense, doesnt call plays, doesnt block, doesnt kick field goals, doesnt coach the team, etc. Look, Dak is not my boy. I’m just saying he is not the main reason the team hasnt exactly been great.
Dustin, JJ is talking to me.
“All that regular season success sure has paid off in the postseason right?” You keep moving the goalposts. You bash Prescott for lack of playoff success, while ignoring that Rodgers has stunk in the playoffs. Numerous posters here have talked of Rodgers fall from “greatness”. He continues to suck in the playoffs but your blind to it. It doesn’t mean crap that he won one Super Bowl. That was a decade ago. I’d rather have Dak In 2020 and years beyond. By your logic, you would take Eli Manning over Prescott right now because Eli has won two Super Bowls.
Jesus Earm, MY POINT is at least Rodgers makes it into the playoffs! He’s 10-8 in the playoffs, with over 5k yards passing 40 TDS 12 INTS. “He continues to suck in the playoffs but your blind to it”? “It doesn’t mean crap that he won a Super Bowl. That was a decade ago.” When has the last time Dallas won a SB Earm? My apologies, I didn’t know Super Bowls meant nothing. Please explain why they play the regular season to me when you have a moment.
Every time I take a dump on your boy Dak, you want pull the “he doesn’t play defense card” or “he doesn’t have a good HC” card. Dak does all he can but his support system isn’t good enough right?
Now look at Rodgers numbers, you want to talk about a guy without the pieces.
You CONSTANTLY make excuses for Prescott, and that’s fine (I know you consider him to be a current top 5 NFL QB) but I guess Rodgers is solely winning and losing games by himself. Come on Earm! You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
“By your logic, you would take Eli Manning over Prescott”? Why stop at Eli? How about Troy Aikman or Terry Bradshaw? Never been an Eli fan Earm but I have to begrudgingly give him his credit. He did shine bright under those bright lights.
As for you Dustin… we’re good. You said it yourself Prescott is an avg. QB. That’s the only point I’m trying to make in these parts. Come to think of it me and Earm are good to. Even though we fight like cats and dogs, it’s all in good fun… Right Earm? Still waiting for your top QB list buddy. Enjoy your day.
JJ, if you won’t to argue that Prescott is an average to slightly above average QB, I’m all over that argument. Can’t wait for the season to begin, we’re good.
Not following you Earm. “if you won’t to argue”?
I (JJ) think Prescott is an above avg./good NFL QB. Do you consider him to be great/elite? I certainly don’t. But I don’t consider many NFL QB’s to be in that category. Maybe 5-6. I mean if you have 8-12 in that category that’s around 25-30% of the leagues QBs considered great/elite.
Maybe we are using a different scale?
Man…quit beating up on Rodgers. I love the 8:1 I’m getting on the Lions to win the NFC North
Ok well first off, your stats are correct but flawed. In those 8 losses, 6 of them the team lost by 8 points or fewer. And I could make the case that if the cowboys had better coaching, they win thosen6 games. Yes Dak could have played better in some of those, but against teams like the Packers or Vikings, the team lost because of poor coaching and play calling down the stretch. I’m not saying Dak is the best or deserves top money, because he doesnt. But you dont get paid top money for being the best. You get top money for being a franchise QB and rhats what he is. Better coaching ultimately will help this team and him. In which they have now.
A loss is a loss. Whether it be by 1 or 8 or 80 points. I respect that you Dustin could make a case that with a better coach Dallas may have won a couple of those games. I could easily make the case that if Dallas had a better QB they could have won those games as well.
I don’t see Dak Prescott as deserving of being the highest paid QB in the NFL when you look at his teams lack of any postseason success, and by the way Dustin, great QB’s make great coaches not vice versa. Check out our new HC’s W-L record with the Packers w/o Rodgers…
Yes a loss is a loss but if the team has a chance to win late and the coach calls some dumb play, that’s on the coach not the QB. Go watch the Vikings game last year. Dak had a great game, they lost that game because of horrible play calling on the final drive.
If you wanna use wins and losses to make your point, I can easily say since Dak made his debut in the NFL, he has the 2nd most wins as a QB. Right behind Tom Brady.
And you are delusional if you dont think great coaches can help turn around QBs. Look at what Jim Harbaugh did with the 49ers. He won games with Kap and Alex Smith.
Bottom line is 1 player, 1 QB cant be the sole reason for a team to lose or win. They cant play defense. The reasons the Cowboys lost last year wasnt just Dak, it was the defense. Was Zeke. Was the coaching and yes Dak wasnt great either at times. Would they have won more with Aaron Rodgers? Sure because hes great. Would they have won more with Russell Wilson? Who knows. My point is, I’m not saying Dak is great. Hes slightly above average. And I wouldn’t pay him more than 30 million a year. But the best QBs dont always get paid the most. It’s about being a franchise QB and if they are due for a contract, then they probably reset the market. I don’t agree with it, but that’s how it works.
“My point is, I’m not saying Dak is great. He’s slightly above average.” That’s the point I’ve been trying to make in almost every one of my posts Dustin. Thank you
It’s probally the fact he wants to be paid like a SB MVP.
Dak could be the most overrated QB in the NFL.
That would be aaron rodgers. Every year the packers are the sb favorites because of number 12 and when they don’t win it’s never because of number 12 always someone else’s fault
Put Rodgers in Dallas the last 4 years and I I’m sure they have more than 1 playoff win. Put Prescott in GB the last 4 years and they’d be a sub .500 team.
Rodgers is not a good player, he won 10 years ago and hasn’t done anything since, he quits on his team every year and even his motor city miracle game which he’s so famous for is a complete nfl created farce by Aaron Rodgers officiating, he’s overrated and can’t win without games gifted to him by the nfl
How is Dak overrated? He was a 4th round pick and coming into the league, nobody thought him as even a solid back up.
He still struggles w/accuracy in the short passing game. Needs to improve in that area a lot…wrs did make him look good last yr, & I’m sorry but he’s not worth $35mil or more a yr!!
Go back and watch games. Nearly 700 of his passing yards & no less than 5 TDs came after the cowboys were so far behind that teams were playing simple prevent defense against him. He’s nothing more than QB 12 or 13 right now unless you’re playing fantasy football in which he gets a bump due to empty stats and rushing ability.
Actually in those games the Cowboys were not trailing by more than 14 points in the second half of any of those losses. Idc what you say, down 14 in the 4th is not garbage time. So to say he put up yards in garbage time is false. Team wasnt down more than 14.
I’d take Hurts. Maybe even trade back in th 1st to do it and secure that cheaper 5th yr. Move on from Dak after 1 or 2 franchise tags.
The Cowboys aren’t taking a QB, nor should they, they’re just conducting in some negotiation posturing. They should be drafting a RDE, CB, and WR in the first 3 rounds, probably in that order.
*engaging in*
*Should be
JJ knows he has to gain some leverage here. I doubt we draft a QB but I would love for them to call Dak’s bluff.
Good luck on another team where you don’t have several perennial pro bowlers at OL and RB, and an above average WR core.
I’ve gotta believe Dallas fully intends on paying Dak, but they’re trying to squeeze the price tag a bit lower. You know Ryan Pace called Jerry and offered him the Bears’ next three drafts for Dak because Pace is a fool.
Slay hasn’t even played a down for the Eagles and he’s already telling people he has a better idea of how to run a defense than Jim Schwartz. I guess they weren’t looking for brains when they traded for him.
Read context. The eagles played strictly zone because they have had a top flight corner to shadow the opposing team’s top receiver.
Ronald Darby? Radio Douglas? Jalen Mills?
That’s why he said “i want to change that”. He gives Schwartz that type of player now
And they build up the defensive backfield yet continue to run an XFL caliber linebacking crew out there…SMH
Agreed. Their track record for drafting and/or developing linebackers hasn’t been there
Eagles rank 10th in offense payroll spending and 28th on defense so maybe Howie needs to find a better balance.
The balance is just fine, and their entire focus in free agency was the defensive unit. On offense your top WRs are aging vets while on defense the CBs are still largely on rookie contracts. Ditto TEs to LBs, but the lines both have a lot of cash invested in them because there’s vets on both sides of the ball there.
LBs are overrated in today’s NFL. That is a league-wide trend. I’ll take a 5-1-5 defense or a 4-2-5 any day of the week over a traditional 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.
With great talent you can make any scheme work, but if you haven’t the talent, even the best scheme is worthless.
New England doesn’t have a QB. Could a trade be in the works?