No Play Slay

The Philadelphia Eagles will be missing one of the lone bright spots on their struggling defensive backfield.

Head Coach Nick Sirianni confirmed reports that All-Pro cornerback Darius Slay underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out for the Monday night matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. He is expected to return before the end of the regular season.

It will now be an even tougher task for the Birds who are taking on a Seattle Seahawks receiving core that features Pro Bowlers DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett as well as 2023 first round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

Sirianni did not reveal who the official replacement in the lineup will be.

Slay missed 15 snaps in the 33-13 loss against the Dallas Cowboys. Rookie cornerback Kelee Ringo saw his first significant snaps on the defensive side of the ball while Josh Jobe, who filled in for missing starting cornerbacks in Weeks 2 and 6, did not see playing time on defense.

Slay will not be the only starter missing. Zach Cunningham (knee) and Cam Jurgens (pectoral) have both been ruled out after being absent from practice the entire week, paving the way for Shaquille Leonard to see significant snaps and for Sua Opeta to return to the starting lineup.

A couple more names were added to Saturday’s injury report, the final of Week 15. Jalen Hurts (illness) and Josh Sweat (illness) were both absent but carry no game-day designation.

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.