The Serious Side of Darius Slay
PHILADELPHIA - The fun-loving Darius Slay wears a lot of hats for the Eagles.
The veteran cornerback can come across as silly when singing the name of a questioner on Zoom but he's also deadly serious when it comes to perfecting his craft and elevating his teammates.
The balance is important for Slay who can make the NFL grind a little bit easier with a personality that can light up any room.
Recently Slay took to social media to play with the fan base by encouraging the Eagles to trade for the disgruntled Julio Jones, one of the best receivers of the generation.
For a team with little salary-cap space about to enter into a Jeffrey Lurie-coined transition year, 32-year-old, five-time All-Pros with big-money deals like Jones aren't exactly first on the docket, and Slay understands that.
"I was kind of interacting with the fans a little bit, with the Julio stuff going around," a smiling Slay said. "Julio Jones will be a (blank) next season."
You never say never with Howie Roseman in charge but that blank is very unlikely to be filled with the word Eagles.
"He’s a talented guy, a future Hall of Famer, so who wouldn’t want him?" Slay admitted when discussing Jones. "We just out there doing a little bit of clowning on social media. I like to have fun."
When Slay gets down to business, though, he takes his job as a veteran seriously when it comes to mentoring younger players, be it the unproven youngsters in his own meeting room or the oft-maligned ones on the other side of the line of scrimmage at practice.
"We’re going to be great, man," Slay said of his own position group which is thin on paper after the Mississippi State product with Avonte Maddox and rookie fourth-round pick Zech McPhearson expected to be in the conversation for major roles.
"[Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon] is doing a great job right now, and the scheme he’s got is putting us in position to make plays ... I believe in the guys in the room."
Like last season with Jalen Reagor, Slay has another first-round pick in DeVonta Smith to duel with at practice.
Darius Slay talked about the Eagles rookie WR
James McKeith/SI.com Eagle Maven graphics coordinator
Smith is a much more refined route-runner than Reagor coming in, but there's still plenty to learn for any rookie in the NFL, and who better to teach a wideout than one of the most accomplished corners in the game?
Before and after OTA practices Slay has been chatting with Smith, quarterback Jalen Hurts and some other WRs to exchange notes.
"I’m one of the premier corners in this game," said Slay. "Been [that way] for a long time. I’ve been giving [Smith] little tips. Like I said, I want him to be the best he can possibly be – him and G-Ward. I never hide information from them. My goal is to get them better. Their goal is to get me better."
Like everyone else Slay has been impressed with the early returns from the former Alabama star, who is coming off a national championship and a Heisman Trophy-winning season. The skillset is there with Smith, according to Slay, as is the work ethic and the football IQ.
"He’s got a lot of upside," Slay surmised of the 10th overall pick. "... He’ll ask questions, or shoot, I’ll just give him a point of view."
The questions can get pretty detailed.
“If he asks me, ‘Slay if you’re outside leverage, what you feeling? What would make you overcommit?’ Or if I’m inside leverage, ‘What would make you do this?’" the veteran explained. "I give him all the pointers that I know and I’ll learn from a lot of guys that are in this league to help him advance his game."
With Slay, working can be fun, too.
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
