PHILADELPHIA – Turns out Darius Slay is a bit of a trendsetter when it comes to the Eagles.
The five-time Pro Bowl cornerback will quickly correct you if you happen to call him by his first name. Slay prefers “Slay” if you’re going to address him and now the veteran has some company with new defensive tackle Kentavius Street, who signed a one-year deal with the Eagles in free agency.
“It’s just simpler and a lot of people like to add on stuff to my last name,” Street smiled during his introductory press conference on Monday.
It’s all about the nicknames for “Street Money” or “Super Street.”
“It’s a lot more to play with than Kentavius. Kentavius has a larger margin of error, so I try to avoid that,” Street said.
If the sixth-year pro performs at a high level, Eagles fans will call Street, who turns 27 next month, whatever he likes. Heck, they might even name a street after him.
The fit seems natural as Street showed off an articulate, thoughtful nature and a sharp intellect along with some knowledge of Eagles history, mentioning Brian Dawkins and Trent Cole.
“As far as the outside looking in, I’ve always been a fan of the Eagles, going back to the days of Trent Cole and Brian Dawkins,” he said. “I really feel like this Eagles organization has always had a standard that they upheld. It’s never bent, it’s never faltered. So, it’s extremely exciting to be a part of it, man, because I really feel like I can put my best foot forward here.”
A Georgia native who attended North Carolina State in college, Street was even more in tune with Philadelphia’s star defensive linemen Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox as he made his way into the NFL.
“I’ve been watching these guys since I was a puppy,” Street said. “Fletch and BG have been setting the standard for D-linemen for a long time now. To have the opportunity to be in the building with these guys, going to practice, going to war with these guys is going to be huge.”
Both Graham and Cox returned to the Eagles on one-year deals in the offseason and Street will be working in a rotation with the latter, along with players like Milton Williams, Jordan Davis and Marlon Tuipulotu.
“I think it’s going to add so much to my game, just being able to pick their brain, see what they see, react on how they react, pass rush how they pass rush, try to add that to my game,” Street said when discussing Cox and Graham. “I know I can only get better. I can only add to what Fletch has been doing, what BG has been doing.”
The Eagles defense was No. 2 in the NFL last season and finished with a franchise-record 70 sacks. Although that standard is lofty, Street plans on helping keep it at that kind of level despite the defense losing five starters as a whole in free agency.
“No D-lineman can sack a quarterback by himself,” Street said. “It takes all four, so for someone to say he’s a one-man wrecking crew is not realistic and it’s not true. So, a D-lineman having other productive guys around him only benefits him, because they can’t block us all.
“It’s going to be great. They built a great room here and an even better culture, so I know we’ll only get better. I think all of us are going to have our best year.”
