All Darius Slay needed was one meeting to gain respect of Terry McLaurin. The Pro Bowl cornerback sang high praises of the Washington Redskins’ stud receiver following their showdown when Slay was a member of the Detroit Lions last season.
Their one-time showdown was entertaining and helped a rookie McLaurin become more recognizable. A third-round pick, McLaurin emerged to be the Redskins’ top wide receiver from the onset of training camp.
Slay’s praises were warranted. McLaurin held his own, catching five passes for 72 yards on 12 targets. His numbers didn’t paint the true picture of their seesaw battle. Twice, McLaurin bested Slay on his route to spring wide open, but fellow rookie Dwayne Haskins missed him with off-target throws.
“To be honest, that whole year, besides Keenan Allen, he was my hardest one that I covered that whole year,” Slay said on McLaurin. “He probably would have scored on me two times.”
Slay took notice for sure. And so did football analysts.
Now, the two are set to compete with more often starting next season.
Slay was traded Thursday to the Philadelphia Eagles, ensuring one of the premier cornerbacks will go up against league’s best rookie wide receiver from 2019’s draft class twice a season as part of the NFC East rivalry.
Slay and McLaurin traded more pleasantries following Slay’s trade to the Eagles.
Football fans in general are sure to be excited to see these two studs compete against each other. However, it appears the two combatants may be even more excited.
And that excitement and mutual respect has this newborn rivalry primed to be even more entertaining. There are a good deal of players around the NFL and NFC East, however, this could certainly be a rivalry fans will want to circle on the calendar when schedules are released.
Their one-on-one battle will be worthy of getting your popcorn ready.
