Eagles Addressed Darius Slay-Matt Patricia Past Before Making Hire

Multiple paths were in play for Darius Slay and Matt Patricia this offseason, but the two former Lions coworkers are now key parts of the Eagles’ defensive blueprint.

The Eagles discussed Slay in trades and were close to cutting him, but an extension agreement will keep the standout cornerback in Philadelphia. Patricia interviewed for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator job, was in play to stay with the Patriots and appeared on the Rams’ radar. But he is now in Philly as well.

Philly hired Patricia as a senior defensive assistant in April, well after the HC and coordinator carousels stopped. This made for an interesting move for a few reasons. Patricia’s success has occurred entirely in New England, and the veteran defensive coach is coming off a strange season in which he was asked to call the Pats’ offensive plays. Patricia, 48, also has a history with Slay from their Detroit days. Slay clashed with Patricia early during the latter’s run as the Detroit HC and at one point during Patricia’s 2018 debut, the then-Lions Pro Bowler said he did not respect the new coach. Patricia also, per Slay, questioned the accomplished cornerback’s abilities.

This feud reached the point the Eagles felt it prudent to address the matter before finalizing the Patricia hire, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. The initial Slay trade rumors surfaced shortly after Patricia emerged on Philly’s radar, but the two will work together despite their late-2010s drama. For his part, Slay said the parties’ relationship has been “cordial” this offseason, per Jenna Malinowski of the Detroit Free Press.

“It’s another day at the office,” Slay said. “We both got the same goal, just going out there to compete and win a championship, so that’s the main focus.”

Patricia not having the same authority level and not directly overseeing Slay stands to help matters in Philly, but given the latter’s importance to the Eagles’ defense — as reflected by the new $23MM guarantee the team authorized despite Slay being 32 — this hire can be questioned. But Patricia has thus far proven a solid resource for new DC Sean Desai, Breer adds.

The Eagles are transitioning to mostly new personnel on their defensive staff. Following Jonathan Gannon‘s messy departure, the Eagles lost defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson, who had been a candidate for the DC job. Linebackers coach Nick Rallis followed Gannon to Arizona. The team promoted assistant DBs coach D.K. McDonald to fill Wilson’s role, while D.J. Eliot — a college DC over the past 10 years who most recently served in that capacity at Temple — is now in charge of the linebackers. Patricia has experience coaching both position groups and obviously is best known for his six-year run as the Patriots’ defensive coordinator. Considering the staff turnover in Philly, Patricia stands to be an important presence in Desai’s first season leading the defense.