Darius Slay feels the best he’s felt in ‘a long time’ as he nears return from knee surgery

Roughly three weeks removed from undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery, cornerback Darius Slay said that finally, he isn’t waking up with that “painful little feeling” he had grown accustomed to.

The surgery prevented Slay from playing in the Eagles’ last three games, the team going 1-2 in that span, but the veteran cornerback is getting closer to a return. Slay said that “we’ll see” if he’s able to go on Sunday in the Eagles’ season finale, a road matchup against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, which has become infamous for the injuries sustained on its turf field.

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On Wednesday, Slay said that his rehab is going well, maintaining optimism about his progress with the playoffs around the corner. He was listed as a limited participant on the injury report, which contained status estimations because the team held a walk-through. Still, barring a setback, Thursday is shaping up to be Slay’s first practice since he had the surgery.

“I’m doing pretty good,” Slay said. “Moving pretty well. So you know, just day by day. And we’ll see how it goes.”

Coach Nick Sirianni was even more optimistic in his comments on Wednesday before the Eagles’ walk-through, saying that the team is “going to have an opportunity to have everybody up this week.” Not only would that include Slay, but that could also potentially include wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who suffered a mild ankle sprain at the end of their 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Smith was not wearing a walking boot on his right foot or using crutches on Wednesday in the locker room, a sign of progress from his postgame state on Sunday night. The third-year receiver was estimated as a nonparticipant in Wednesday’s walk-through. The Eagles will hold practices on Thursday and Friday before releasing the final injury report complete with game statuses.

Not only has the Eagles’ defense lacked Slay over the last three games, but it also has missed inside linebacker Zach Cunningham throughout that stretch. The seventh-year veteran has been sidelined with a knee injury, forcing the Eagles to rely on Nicholas Morrow, Shaquille Leonard, and Ben VanSumeren in his absence. Like Slay, Cunningham was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday’s injury report. Slay is both eager to get back on the field himself and looking forward to the potential return of Cunningham.

“What Zach’s going to bring is a lot of physicality,” Slay said. “I call him ‘crash dummy,’ because he likes to just hit folks in the face. I don’t understand that. But I do understand it. Because he just likes hitting folks, but I don’t understand it. But just me, just a veteran presence. Just communicating. Just experience. Eleven years, playing good ball still.”

Slay noted that the Giants’ playing surface does not bear any weight on his own decision to play this weekend, although he acknowledged that the field has “the worst reputation” and that he doesn’t know “why they don’t get that [field] fixed.”

Still, whether he is or isn’t healthy enough to play, Slay said that the Eagles shouldn’t be resting their starters in their final game of the season. The Eagles no longer control their own fate in the NFC East. If the Cowboys beat the Washington Commanders on Sunday, then Dallas will earn the top seed in the division. However, if the 4-12 Commanders win — a far less likely scenario, but not totally out of the realm of possibility — and the Eagles win their game against the Giants, then the Eagles would win the NFC East.

But regardless of seeding implications, Slay acknowledged that the Eagles stand to benefit from playing a complete game going into the playoffs, a feat they haven’t accomplished this month. The Eagles defense hit a new low on Sunday against the Cardinals in the third game under de facto defensive coordinator Matt Patricia.

They conceded 449 yards, including 221 rushing yards, marking their worst performance on the ground since 2016. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on four consecutive drives in the second half to pull off a comeback victory.

“No, it ain’t making no sense right now,” Slay said. “Nah, because we are not playing great enough to be sitting down. And we need to go into the playoffs with good momentum. I know everybody’s worried about their bodies, but on this team, everybody knows in their hearts like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to go out there and play a complete, clean game’ when that stuff is just executing.

“But that is up to Coach. But for me as a veteran guy, definitely me watching, that’s not the film we want to put out there and go into the playoffs like that. So we’ve got to go out there and play a little better.”

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Sirianni indicated on Monday that there’s a “consideration” to rest starters against the Giants, but at the same time, he wants to do “whatever [they] need to do to win this game” given the potential seeding implications and the need to build momentum going into the playoffs.

Still, when the time comes, Slay is looking forward to making his return after undergoing a surgery that has him feeling the best he’s felt in “a long time.”

“Since I was like, my young days,” Slay said. “You know, 2018. Young type of days. Now, I’m feeling real good.”