Eagles find a way to extend Darius Slay

This is an exercise in patience and understanding and evaluation, reading the free agent market and working with players and agents, and nobody plays it better than Eagles Executive Vice President/General Manager Howie Roseman. Which players are projecting the best for this football team for 2023 and beyond, and who will fit into a budget that far exceeds outsiders’ immediate picture?

Welcome to the 2023 season which is now officially underway and we know it from the fingernails biting, panic texts sent and emotional tweets posted. Things move fast as teams come to terms with players, dollar reports are filed, and hot takes are made.

What did the Eagles do here in the first few days? Where are they going in an off-season that—need a reminder here? – goes long and well beyond March and then April and then May and so on and so on. That first week was crazy, that’s for sure. The Eagles came in, and the conventional outside view was that a star-studded roster that won 16 regular season and playoff games in 2022 would take a beating in free agency and that Roseman would have some big rehab work , particularly on the defensive side of the line of scrimmage.

You see, you just have to let things play out, and that’s something Roseman excels at. He’s cool, calculated, and he and his team – and sure, and that’s very important, there’s a team here that makes it all possible – look at every scenario and try to work on all eventualities and always give yourself leeway to let maneuverability. Of course, being flexible is key when creating a roster.

So the squad is taking shape. It’s just the beginning, mind you, but we’ve seen a major development that’s downright exciting. An overview:

1. Extend Darius Slay and keep James Bradberry for one of the NFL’s best cornerback rooms

Bradberry was an All-Pro player last season and a standout player throughout his career. He appreciated that he had a strong free agency market. He wanted the right situation and of course that included a strong equalizer, but it was also important that Bradberry liked the squad, the organization and the structure of the defence. In short, he wanted to land a top-notch contract and play for a competitive team and an organization that does things right. Nice to have you back James. Philadelphia, with its fanatical fan base and a team that is, yes, once again a contender, is the place for a player to let their game do the talking. It just works here with Bradberry.

So the Eagles have Bradberry back together with Darius Slay, who himself received a two-year extension on Thursday. I know, I know, the social media, the emotions, the story we have to have here from Slay and Roseman as an example of never saying never, right? Those two pair up on the outside at cornerback and with Avonte Maddox at Nickel, and with some young cornerbacks like Zech McPhearson and Josh Jobe developing and, geez, this is great cornerback space again, and if the Eagles add anything Anyone would understand wanting an NFL draft where they currently hold 10th and 30th picks.

Great, great developments here and so important in the pass-heavy NFL.