Darius Slay living up to second year expectations
Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay came into the league as a raw rookie, and he was picked apart in his first season, which didn’t come as a surprise to those who watched him during the preseason. The Lions stuck with him as a starter despite his struggles, and he didn’t exactly make many big plays to help overcome the number of times he was burned. But in a huge blowout victory over the Green Bay Packers, Slay showed sudden signs of growth. While Matt Flynn and the Packers abhorrent pass protection had something to do with it, Slay looked excellent in his own right, providing sticky coverage on Jordy Nelson and recording three passes defended.
Unfortunately, Slay was unable to build on that positive performance, as he suffered an injury that cut his season short. That momentum was not lost, because Slay earned plenty of praise during the offseason for his strong play and was locked in as the team’s No. 1 corner. Jim Caldwell and defensive coordinator Teryl Austin seemed incredibly high on Slay, and I don’t think he’s let them down this season.
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After recording no picks and just six passes defended in 13 games last season, the former Mississippi State standout has a pick and eight passes defended in nine appearances this year. PDs are the best basic statistic around when it comes to evaluating cornerbacks, because it shows that Slay is making plays and keeping tight coverage.
The advanced statistics do a better job of showing just how valuable Slay has been to the Lions defense this season, which is built on strong play from Slay, James Ihedigbo (the guy Austin transformed from a liability and third safety into a quality starter), and the ever-underrated Glover Quin Jr. But it’s been Slay’s play that has been most instrumental to the Lions this season, because they have been the best team in the NFL against No. 1 receivers. The best. They are, per Football Outsider’s DVOA, average against TEs, top-ten against No. 2 WRs, and subpar against RBs and No. 3, 4, 5 etc. WRs. But against the very best the opposition has to throw at them, they are the best. They don’t have Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis, or even Joe Haden, but they do have Darius Slay and Glover Quin; two of the most underrated defensive backs in the game.
How much of that league-leading DVOA% is on Slay? I’m not sure, but my guess is that quite a bit of it has come from him. According to the Pro Football Focus, he’s allowing just 55.9% of all passes thrown in his coverage to be completed, and quarterbacks have a 77.1 QB Rating against him. The only touchdown he allowed came in Week 7 on a 46-yard TD by excellent deep threat Kenny Stills, but he hasn’t allowed many big plays this season. Last year, Slay allowed four TD with, as stated before, no picks, and his QB Rating allowed was well over 100. He also allowed 15 yards per reception, and it’s incredible just how much Slay has improved after one season (give Austin some credit, as he’s one of the best defensive back gurus in the NFL, and I hope more people notice his genius).
Ndamukong Suh and DeAndre Levy are the best two players on the Lions defense, and they deserve all the accolades and All-Pro recognition that they get. But Quin and Slay have quietly been two of the better defensive backs in the NFL this season, and they are the big reason why the team is allowing the fourth-lowest yards per pass attempt (5.6). They also have just one passing touchdown allowed and seven forced picks, and that’s ridiculous. It’s insane to think that the Lions were supposed to have a bad secondary, and yet Austin has helped build one of the league’s elite pass defenses using Suh, Slay, and Quin as his three main building blocks.
While I wouldn’t go as far to say that Slay has looked like a shutdown corner, I would be willing to entertain the idea of calling him a top 25 cornerback in this league, and he could slot into the top 20 if he keeps it up. He’s done everything asked of him, limiting receivers and showing off the ability that made him a touted prospect coming out of college. He’s putting it all together, and he’s definitely fulfilled the Detroit Lions expectations of him this season.