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The Philadelphia Eagles made a rather shocking move when they released Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay. Slay and James Bradberry, who the Eagles re-signed, made one of the NFL's best cornerback duos en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
Nevertheless, the veteran cornerback is available now and there should be plenty of interest in him. He's clearly still got talent and can be a shutdown corner like he was in Philadelphia. Which NFL teams should consider making a run at Darius Slay?
Five teams that should consider signing Darius Slay
5) Arizona Cardinals
With a bit of cap space and a brand new head coach, the Arizona Cardinals have work to do this off-season. Since Jonathan Gannon was Slay's defensive coordinator in Philadelphia, it's probably a safe bet that the two parties will at least communicate.
Slay and Gannon worked well together, so there's no reason to think they wouldn't in a new uniform.
4) New England Patriots
If there is any team out there that can maximize Darius Slay's ability at this stage of his career, it's the New England Patriots. They have a good chunk of cap space available and were pretty close to the playoffs. They need to revamp and go after it again this year, and building up an elite defense might be the way to go.
3) Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions' defense was abysmal in 2022. However, they nearly made the playoffs. Continuing forward, the defense will be a focal point for the front office and a top cornerback could very well make a pretty significant difference.
Slay would also help mentor Jeff Okudah, the young cornerback the Lions already have. On the field and off the field, Darius Slay would be an excellent signing for Detroit to continue their ascension to a legitimate contender.
Slay was with the Lions before, so he's familiar with the team and the city. A reunion now that they're somewhat good again would be a fantastic story, too.
2) Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have major needs on defense and a lot of money to play with. Slay makes a lot of sense for Chicago, which had one of the league's worst defenses last year.
They have a lot of draft picks from their trade with the Carolina Panthers, but there aren't many elite cornerback prospects and they can always just go with the safe option and sign Slay, a proven commodity.
1) San Francisco 49ers
The loss of Demeco Ryans and a few key contributors will leave the San Francisco 49ers with a defense significantly less stout than the one they featured in 2022. Even then, their secondary wasn't as dominant as their front seven.
With that in mind, Slay is a big play corner than would benefit from playing behind such a dominant defensive line. The 49ers' defense won't be as good next season, but they can offset some of the losses by going after a playmaker like Slay.
Note: This article is subjective and reflects the views of the author.
