The Detroit Lions successfully revamped their cornerback room last season. They accomplished this by trading for Carlton Davis, signing Amik Robertson, and drafting Terrion Arnold. While the Lions still let up the fifth most passing yards (4,404), the play of those three corners was significantly better than that of their 2023 cornerbacks.
That said, Detroit is likely to lose Davis in free agency this offseason, which will certainly hurt the room. Furthermore, another former Lions cornerback has recently been projected as a cap casualty this offseason.
According to a recent article from the Athletic, former Lions cornerback Darius Slay was named as a cap casualty for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Eagles Could Potentially Move on From Former Lions Star Darius Slay
"The Eagles began their succession plan at cornerback last year by spending their first two draft picks on Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both were finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Slay, 34, battled multiple injuries during the season. He missed one game with a knee injury, another with a groin injury and sat out the regular-season finale while resting the entire week"Brooks Kubena- the Athletic
Kubena's reasoning for why Philadelphia would move on from Slay is sound. It certainly seems that the Eagles have found their future starters at cornerback in both Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Both played exceptionally this season, and Dejean capped off his rookie season with a memorable pick-six in the Super Bowl.
Moreover, this season was the second year in a row Slay has missed time because of injuries. This points to the wear and tear on the 34-year-old's body.
Aside from those factors, cutting Slay would save Philadelphia $4.3 million in 2025, and $17.7 million in 2026. Those cap savings are worth it to a team that is already paying lots of big contracts.
Nevertheless, when Slay is on the field, he is still a good cornerback; in 2024, Slay earned a 68.9 coverage grade ( 52nd out of 223), according to PFF. In addition, Slay recorded 49 tackles, 13 pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery this season. Receiving that level of production from a 34-year-old is impressive.
If Philadelphia does decide to move on from Slay, a Lions reunion could be possible. However, Detroit will need to have a replacement ready in case Slay were to go down.