The Eagles have enjoyed their fair share of great years with good secondaries but none have matched what we have seen this season. After the Giants released James Bradberry, the NFL felt like his best years were certainly behind him.
Fortunately for the Eagles, Bradberry has excelled with having Darius Slay on the other side of him as well as a scheme that fits his style of play. Many people have said for years how the Giants misused Bradberry and the Eagles have found a way to right the shop with the cornerback.
Darius Slay is also enjoying a renaissance season as he has only gotten better since being traded to the Eagles. Alongside James Bradberry in his third season with the birds, Darius Slay is on top of the world right now.
Veteran Eagles taking flight
Darius Slay has a passer rating of only 14.6 against him and a completion percentage of 42% on the season. James Bradberry is not far behind as he currently has a passer rating of 29.0 while allowing only 41% of the passes toward him to be caught.
Between the two cornerbacks, they have only allowed 224 receiving yards against them and zero touchdowns. According to the NFL’s next-gen stats, the top two shutdown cornerbacks in the league just so happen to belong to the Eagles as well.
James Bradberry is number one with an average percentile of 91 and Darius Slay is number two with an average percentile of 85. Although the Eagles once had secondaries that featured Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, and Asante Samuel, the franchise has never had a true no-fly zone like the one that they currently have.
No Phly Zone
If the Eagles can extend Bradberry and maybe adjust the contract of Slay, the team could have an incredible secondary for the next 2-3 years. With a budding safety duo in Marcus Epos and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, it would be wise for the Eagles to keep this group together for the foreseeable future.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
