Eagles’ Darius Slay out vs. Seahawks following arthroscopic knee surgery

Eagles cornerback Darius Slay underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this week, coach Nick Sirianni said Saturday morning.

Slay, a team captain and five-time Pro Bowler, is not expected to be placed on injured reserve, league sources told The Inquirer, and the team is hopeful he makes a full recovery ahead of the playoffs.

The Eagles (10-3) have four regular-season games remaining. They’ll travel to the West Coast to play the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night at Lumen Field. Slay, at the very least, will be out against the Seahawks, Sirianni confirmed.

In 12 games this season, Slay has 57 tackles and a team-high 15 passes defensed with two interceptions. Since 2013, Slay leads the league with 148 passes defensed.

» READ MORE: How the Eagles’ secondary sizes up the Seahawks' three-pronged receiving attack

The 11-year veteran has dealt with lingering knee pain, and he missed the team’s Week 6 loss to the New York Jets. Over the past two weeks, Slay — who typically plays every defensive snap on the opposite side of fellow cornerback James Bradberry — logged 93% of defensive snaps against the San Francisco 49ers and just 82% versus the Dallas Cowboys.

With Slay sidelined, the Eagles have multiple options to fill his place between second-year player Josh Jobe and rookies Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks.

Bradberry said he became aware earlier in the week that Slay could miss some time, and he noted the necessary adjustments throughout his preparation this week for the Seahawks.

“It’s going to take all of us to step up and communicate, make plays when they come to us,” Bradberry said Saturday. “I think, first and foremost, I have to step up myself. As I step up, that’ll give us some momentum or a morale boost to the other guys. So I’ve got to prepare myself, too, and be ready to take on that leadership role for this group.”

» READ MORE: Eagles beat writers make their predictions for the Seahawks game in Week 15

The Eagles rank 28th in pass defense (259.9 yards per game) and 32nd in third-down defense (48.1%). The secondary will continue to attempt to solve its issues with a constant rotating lineup; every Week 1 starting defensive back has missed time this season due to injury.

“We’ve had some adversity where we haven’t played well,” Bradberry said. “But I feel like how [the defensive backs] react to it, we can’t be down on ourselves, we’ve got to move onto the next game. And then making plays. Seeing us respond and react throughout the adversity, throughout the criticism, it’ll show the growth of this group.”

Also ruled out along with Slay were linebacker Zach Cunningham (knee) and offensive guard Cam Jurgens (pectoral).

The Eagles are expected to open the 21-day practice window for starting nickel cornerback Avonte Maddox, a league source confirmed Saturday afternoon to The Inquirer. The news was first reported by ESPN.

Maddox has been shelved on injured reserve since mid-September when he suffered a torn pec during the team’s Week 2 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. Maddox underwent surgery to repair the torn pec and has begun rehabilitation with trainers and the strength staff from the team facility. During a practice earlier in the week, Maddox was seen working out on a side field with a trainer.

Over 62 games with the Eagles, Maddox has 241 tackles, 31 passes defensed, four interceptions, and eight forced fumbles.

The Eagles will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Monday Night Football showdown. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lumen Field in Seattle.