Carson Wentz has never had a training camp like this. No, nothing to do with the pandemic. It has to do with who he serves on the practice every day.
One man in particular.
Think of the cornerbacks Wentz faced in practice during his first four years in the NFL.
Nolan Carroll. Leodis McKelvin. Jalen Mills. Ronald Darby. Sidney Jones. Rasul Douglas. Patrick Robinson. Avonte Maddox.
Some adequate. Some not so adequate. No elite.
Now, Wentz finds that he goes head-to-head every day with a three-time Pro Bowler in his prime. And it did not take him long to appreciate the unique ability of Darius Slay.
“Darius Slay obviously jumps out at you,” Wentz said Monday, after the Eagles’ first practice of the summer. “He’s a difference maker for that defense and I’m excited I do not have to throw him or any more of those things now that he’s on our team.
Slay actually caught Wentz only once in his Lions career, but it was a costly one for the Eagles.
The Lions led the Eagles 24-23 with a minute and a half left in their 2016 game at Ford Field when Wentz tried to connect with Nelson Agholor on a deep ball. Slay picked it up on the Lions’ 23-yard line, and the Lions rounded out the clock, giving the Eagles their first loss after a 3-0 start.
That was actually the first interception Wentz ever threw.
The Eagles got Slay in March from the Lions in exchange for picks in the 3rd and 5th rounds, and Monday was the first chance that Wentz had to put Slay into practice with full pads.
The Eagles have not had a Pro Bowl cornerback in their prime since Asante Samuel a decade ago.
“He’s different,” Wentz said of Slay. ‘He’s completely different. He’s fast, he’s smart, he recognizes things. It’s something I can already see right after a few practices. He will definitely jump out and he will be a great help to this team. ”
The last time the Eagles had a defense of the top 10 was in 2012, and that was only because they were always losing so badly that teams just rounded the ball on them in the second half.
With Slay as the centerpiece of a rebuilt secondary that also includes safety Will Parks, lock Nickell Robey-Coleman and Jalen Mills in a new role in safety, there is finally hope for this failed secondary.
Even if it makes Wentz’s job a little harder in practice.
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