It's no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers' secondary has been a glaring flaw in 2025. Despite being brought in this past offseason to be part of the solution, cornerback Darius Slay has been a massive part of the problem.
Slay hasn't met the expectations attached to the one-year, $10 million contract the Steelers signed him to in March, to put it mildly. Frankly, his presence has done more harm than good, and that's when he's not coming in and out of the lineup with injuries.
Turning 35 in January, Slay has shown his age. The Super Bowl LIX champion is physically struggling to withstand the NFL's pounding and has been a liability on the field when he can. It’s time for Steelers general manager Omar Khan to admit defeat on this failed experiment: the shortcomings have gone on for long enough.
Steelers GM Omar Khan must wave the white flag on Darius Slay signing gone wrong
Through Week 12, Slay's 126.7 passer rating against is the 11th-highest in the league among 118 corners with at least 100 coverage snaps. Moreover, he's tied for the 18th-most receiving yards allowed (396) and 21st in yards per reception (14.1), per Pro Football Focus ($).
In other words, targeting Slay has proven to be a fruitful strategy in his inaugural campaign with the Steelers. Sticking with him has given opponents a weak link to exploit. He's on the decline, which everyone besides Pittsburgh has ostensibly noticed from the jump this season.
Pittsburgh is giving up the second-most passing yards per game (258.7), trailing only their AFC North rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals. While Slay isn't the sole issue on the back end, he's certainly exacerbated the situation, as illustrated by the Steelers' past three contests.
Head coach Mike Tomlin has made some necessary adjustments to address the Steelers' defensive backfield woes, including scaling back Slay's role since Week 10. During this stretch, it has been in the middle of the pack in terms of passing yards allowed, and that hardly feels like a coincidence.
Sixth-year pro James Pierre has seen his snap count increase dramatically as Slay's playing time has gone down, which has paid dividends for Pittsburgh. The former has been a much-needed revelation while the latter's star continues to fade.