Eagles cornerback Darius Slay says he’s playing in Monday’s wild-card game vs. Buccaneers

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay said on his Big Play Slay podcast Wednesday that he will play in Monday night’s wild-card playoff game vs. the Buccaneers.

Slay missed the final four games of the season after getting knee surgery on Dec. 16. He practiced in a limited capacity prior to the Week 18 game vs. the Giants, but did not play.

“The knee. The knee is feeling good,” Slay said on the show. “Did a lot of drills this week. I’m saying I’m feeling good, getting in the rotation. It’s go time now. It’s playoff time now, playoff football, and [you] best believe I will be out there. And I know y’all be like, ‘Dang, Slay! How you heal so fast from a torn meniscus?’ The average person don’t heal as fast as I do from a torn meniscus. This is a clean body. I’m talking about no drinking, no nothing. We just vibe, and I’m just high off energy. It’s just due justice.

“And then of course I got great treatment. The Eagles training staff is just amazing at what they do. … They’ve been doing a great job to get me right and get me ready to return. So speedy recover for myself, and I thank them, because without them it would be tough out here. But the strength coaches, the equipment people, and everything I need to be prepared to play, they did a great job of getting myself ready to go. So I thank them and I’m looking forward to being out there on the field.”

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Matt Patricia said Wednesday that he expects rookie cornerbacks Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks to still be a part of the game plan against Tampa Bay on Monday even if Slay is back on the field. And it sound like the Birds’ Pro Bowl cornerback is itching to return.

“I’m too ready. It’s been boring. It’s hard to watch from the sideline when I can contribute,” Slay continued. “So I’m looking forward to returning back in Tampa. It’s a lot of my family that’s down that way. … It could be like a home game for me, and I’m looking forward to it, man. It’s gonna be fun. And it’s going to be warm, so that’s a good thing about us in these playoffs right now, playing away, there’s going to be a lot of warm games, so I appreciate that. I hate the cold. I don’t do too well in the cold, so thankfully I’ve got a good warm game to play in in Tampa. I hope it don’t rain, that’s the only thing…

“Philly fans, your boy is back, so y’all don’t need to do no tweeting, no Instagramming asking me if I’m back. I’m telling y’all right now from the horse’s mouth. Slay is back. We ready to go out there, compete, and catch these dubs.”

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Slay, who it must be pointed out is not a doctor, has not been officially cleared by the Eagles and has not been a full participant in practice yet, but that could change when the Birds return to the field later this week. The team has a walkthrough scheduled for Thursday, with their first full practice coming on Friday; they’ll put out an official injury report after each.

Still, after limited participation last week and a long week ahead of Monday’s playoff opener, it’s not surprising to hear the Eagles cornerback say he’s on track to make his return.