Determining Darius Slay’s value: Pay him or trade him?
Trading Slay, where would he go?
The reason that Darius Slay has trade value is that he has been so productive through being 28 that some other team may wish to risk that he can maintain his current production for several more years. Implicit in this view is that Slay may help to push a team into a title contender or keep a team in that discussion.
What teams need a number one cornerback, have cap space to cover Slay’s contract demands, and draft capital to spend? A peek at Spotrac’s cap space chart gives us an interesting list of options who can afford him. The Buffalo Bills (10-6), Dallas Cowboys (8-8), Los Angeles Rams (9-7), Houston Texans (10-6), and Seattle Seahawks (11-5) all have north of $50 million dollars of cap space (estimated), save the Rams, going into the 2020 NFL year and are coming off of successful campaigns.
All of those teams pick in the back half of the NFL draft but have second-round picks that might give the Detroit Lions some value, with the Cowboys having pick 51, Los Angeles, pick 52, Buffalo, pick 54, Houston, pick 57, and Seattle, picks 59 and 64, according to Tankathon.
The Buffalo Bills are intent on building a great defense and definitely have room next to All-Pro Tre’Davious White. They really have few free agents of their own to worry about and are likely to enter a very good place with some young pieces and plenty of cash to spend on what’s missing.
The Dallas Cowboys have a corner who wants a payday in Byron Jones but has some depth with Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie. The ‘Boys have to decide on what to do with free agents, quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper, but they still might want to pursue another defensive player, regardless.
The Houston Texans’ situation is that they are losing two good cornerbacks, Bradley Roby, 28, and Jonathon Joseph, 36. While they could elect to re-sign Roby, Darius Slay would be an upgrade for their otherwise young secondary. The Texans are really looking for a few pieces to allow them to compete with AFC powerhouses like the Super Bowl champion, Kansas City Chiefs.
The Houston roster is largely all in their prime with veterans ranging from 26- 30, so they could see the benefit of signing a player who is also ready to compete for a title. Many in Detroit would be happy to see Darius Slay go to a contender and have a chance at a ring.
The Seattle Seahawks possess many of the right conditions to obtain Slay but don’t run a man-to-man defense. Being primarily a man-corner, Darius Slay might be considered too costly for a system that uses mostly deep-third, zone-coverage. However, Slay would give them the flexibility to man cover certain players while still utilizing zone concepts on the other side of the field.
Not only that, as stated earlier, Slay’s former teammate Quandre Diggs is already there.
Lastly, the Los Angeles Rams have been mentioned as a possible trade partner, too. They have had good fortunes since head coach Sean McVay arrived and are looking to make some noise in the postseason again. They have room next to Jalen Ramsey, who is also a free agent after 2020, but the duo would be one of the top pairs of cornerbacks in the NFL instantly and surely improve their 12th-ranked pass defense.
The Rams have an estimated $23.3 million in cap space, currently.