It's been a long time coming for both sides, but the Philadelphia Eagles finally have their cornerback and Darius Slay finally has his trade.

The Eagles were aggressively pursuing Byron Jones after reports of their interest in the former Dallas Cowboys corner circled weeks before free agency began. However, Jones landed in Miami on a reported five-year, $82.5 million deal for an average of $16.5 million per year.

It forces a difficult question: Why weren't the Eagles able to come over the top of the Dolphins offer? Did the effect of different tax laws in Miami make up the difference of even a $17.5 million offer from the Eagles? Was Jones simply not interested in playing for Philadelphia his time in Dallas?

The Eagles lost out on Jones and, given the state of their cornerback room, dire efforts were needed. Philadelphia’s secondary had 2017 second-round pick Sidney Jones, 2017 third-round pick Rasul Douglas and 2019 fourth-round pick Avonte Maddox. Jones has been banged up, Douglas has been a backup and Maddox is a slot on the outside — the Eagles had little to no options.

Slay has wanted out of Detroit since last season. At the time of the 2019 trade deadline, there were rumors that Slay could only be pried from the Lions' hands for the cost of a first-round pick, while the Eagles and other interested teams weren't moving off of a Day 2 price tag. Things have only gotten worse in Detroit and yesterday Slay publicly hoped the signing of free agent Desmond Trufant would accelerate his trade process.

The Eagles were out of leverage because of their desperate need, and the Lions were out of leverage because of how badly Slay wanted out. Accordingly, they met on a price: a third-round pick and a fifth-round selection in 2020. It’s lower than the typical cost for a high-caliber starting cornerback, but the thing about Jones is that he didn't cost any picks at all — he’s actually a free agent.

Slay had one year left on his deal but when he signed with Philadelphia, he was signed to a three-year, $50 million extension. The $16.7 million per year is more than Jones got and more than all the corners in the league.

This is a big-time move for the Eagles. While the cornerback play in Philadelphia has been bad for years, it has also been cheap. Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills (along with Douglas, Jones and Maddox) were all on rookie contracts and accordingly didn't eat into the money that could be spent on other positions. Slay costs more next year than all of them combined cost last year, and the caliber of play must improve in lockstep with the increased spending.

Does Slay still have that caliber of talent? It depends on who you ask. Slay had his worst season since his rookie year in 2019 and will turn 29 this season. Historically, he's been one of the most productive and effective man cover corners in the league. If Slay is able to play at an elite man coverage level, he'll be worth the investment; if it's anything less, the Eagles likely overpaid into a thin market of free agent CBs in a desperate need to fix a problem they've left fester for years.