National Football League

Darius Slay's unexpected return caps magic act to salvage Eagles defense

Updated Mar. 16, 2023 7:14 p.m. ET

The start of free agency couldn't have gone much worse for the Philadelphia Eagles. Within hours they had lost four defensive starters. They told another they'd have to cut or trade him after contract talks broke down. And they had barely any salary cap room to work with, so there wasn't much they could do.

Then somehow, Eagles GM Howie Roseman pulled the proverbial rabbit out of his hat.

Roseman, known for being one of the most creative and aggressive GMs in football, not only managed to stop the bleeding, but he even salvaged the offseason for the NFC champs. He unexpectedly re-signed cornerback James Bradberry, following his All-Pro season. Roseman brought back the defensive half of his "Core Four" in Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, who combined last season for 18 sacks.

And then, late Wednesday night, Roseman pulled off his biggest surprise of all, according to a source, avoiding what could have been a disastrous split with cornerback Darius Slay. Two days earlier he had given Slay's agents permission to seek a trade after talks broke down over lowering the 32-year-old's $26.1 million salary cap number. Then Wednesday morning, he told Slay he was going to be cut, and the cornerback even Tweeted his goodbye.

But when the daily NFL transactions list came out on Wednesday afternoon, Slay wasn't on it. And at about 11 p.m. ET on Wednesday night, he Tweeted "Back like I never left!!! Run it back".

The details of how Roseman pulled that off haven't been revealed yet. And it matters whether he got Slay to agree to a pay cut — what one NFL source said the Eagles initially wanted — or whether he did something else with the five-time Pro Bowler's contract that may have pushed painful cap hits into future years.

What matters more, though, is that Roseman got it done, somehow, some way, keeping a key part of the NFL's No. 2 defense together. Because the Eagles need that defense to make another run at the Super Bowl championship they just barely missed winning last month.

And just a few days ago, it sure looked like that defense was going to get completely torn apart.

Now, the losses just don't seem so devastating. The Eagles are bringing back almost every piece of the NFL's best pass rush. Yes, the one piece they lost is a big one, when defensive tackle Javon Hargrave signed a four-year, $84 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers. But the Eagles have hopes that Jordan Davis, the 13th pick in the 2022 draft, can step in and fill his shoes.

And while they did lose one starting safety — Marcus Epps, who signed a two-year, $12 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders — and still could lose another in C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Slay and Bradberry were the two most important pieces of the NFL's best secondary. Gardner-Johnson was terrific last season, with an NFL-high six interceptions in just 12 games, and if Roseman can figure out how to bring him back, he will truly have earned his wizard's hat and wand. But corners like Slay and Bradberry are much more difficult to find.

None of this guarantees that the Eagles defense will be even close to as good as it was last season. They still lost two starting linebackers — T.J. Edwards (three years, $19.5 million with the Bears) and Kyzir White (two years, $12 million with the Cardinals) — which means they'll still have to find a way to replace four or five starters in all. And don't forget, they also lost defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who is the new head coach of the Cardinals. So it's an uphill battle for new defensive coordinator Sean Desai.

But Roseman found a way to give the Eagles hope where there wasn't much when the offseason began. He and coach Nick Sirianni sounded braced for a mass exodus on defense every time they spoke after Super Bowl LVII. With only about $6.6 million in cap room when the offseason began, they talked about replenishing the team in the draft, because they knew there was little else they could do.

Yet Roseman did what he always seems to do: He got creative and found a way. Maybe when the details come out, it'll all foreshadow a difficult future. Maybe he'll end up having mortgaged too much of his future for a run at a title now.

It's the now that matters most, though, and now things don't look so bad. The defense isn't in tatters. Center Jason Kelce is back for another year. The Eagles even managed to sign talented but injury-prone running back Rashad Penny to replace the departed Miles Sanders (four years, $25 million from the Panthers) to join the RB committee behind what remains the NFL's best offensive line.

There's more work to be done, and maybe there will be difficult times ahead in future years. But right now, the Eagles' championship window is open. And Roseman managed to make sure it'll stay propped open for at least one more year.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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