Darius Slay is finger wagging his way back to Orlando for a second straight season.
The Lions sixth-year cornerback has been elected to his second straight Pro Bowl voted on by the fans, players and coaches, the NFL announced Tuesday night.
Slay earned his first Pro Bowl nod and All Pro selection last season after leading the league with eight interceptions and 26 passes defended. Slay has three interceptions through 14 games this year and his 15 passes defended are third most in the NFL behind only Kyle Fuller (21) and Stephon Gilmore (18).
Slay recorded his first touchdown Week 14 when he intercepted a Josh Rosen pass and returned it 67 yards for a score to give Detroit a 10-3 lead in an eventual 17-3 victory over the Cardinals. He defended three passes total in that game and earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
It was just another in a long line of big plays we're used to seeing from Slay.
No one in the NFL has defended more passes (89) than Slay since entering the NFL in 2013. He's totaled 11 interceptions the past two seasons, tied for the most by a cornerback in that span. He has 12 games in which he's defended at least three passes. That's the most in the league over the last six seasons.
This season, opposing quarterbacks are completing just 55.6 percent of their passes on Slay with an 84.8 passer rating. That's with Slay typically traveling with the opponent's best receiver week after week.
Slay is the first Lions cornerback to be chosen for the Pro Bowl in back-to-back seasons since Dre Bly in 2003 and 2004. Slay and Bly join Lem Barney (1975-76; 1972-73) as the only Lions defensive backs to make the Pro Bowl in consecutive seasons since the 1970 merger.
Lions safety Quandre Diggs also got some Pro Bowl consideration. He's the fourth alternate at safety. Diggs has 66 tackles, two interceptions, seven passes defended and a touchdown through 14 games.
He is one of two defensive backs to notch 120 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, five interceptions and one pick-six since 2017 as both a safety and cornerback for the Lions.
