The Pittsburgh Steelers have a thing for going after former Pro Bowlers once they are already past their prime. Two years ago, Mike Tomlin was stoked to land former first-round pick Patrick Peterson in free agency, but the aging cornerback proved that he had nothing left in the tank. It's clear the Steelers just made the same mistake with Darius Slay.
Slay, a former long-time cornerback of the Lions and Eagles, was released by Philadelphia during the 2025 offseason, and the Steelers quickly pounced in free agency. But this was a decision that was doomed from the beginning. The proof is in the pudding.
At 34 years old, Slay doesn't have the speed and quickness to stick with NFL wide receivers like he did in his earlier days. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7 on Thursday Night Football, Slay was humiliated in coverage against wide receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.
The veteran was credited with allowing six receptions on seven targets for 80 yards and a touchdown. He also missed three tackles in this contest. Somehow, the all-22 tape on Slay was even worse than the numbers he allowed. Pro Football Focus would agree. Slay earned an overall grade of just 29.6 against the Bengals in Week 7—the lowest of any player from either team.
Despite handing Slay a one-year, $10 million contract in free agency, Pittsburgh already needs to cut its losses and find another option who can man the position. Things have only gone from bad to worse.
The Pittsburgh Steelers already need to replace CB Darius Slay
Slay had his time in the spotlight. He earned All-Pro honors back in his fifth season in 2017 and has been a Pro Bowler six times since. However, it's painfully obvious that Father Time has caught up to Slay, and this time, there's no escaping it.
At 34, Slay is two years older than the next oldest NFL cornerback who has taken so much as a single snap during the 2025 season (this happens to be Antonio Hamilton Sr. of the Washington Commanders). Apart from Slay, there are only two other cornerbacks in the league who are starting at over 31 years old.
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In just six games with the Steelers, Slay has been responsible for allowing 20 receptions on 28 targets (71.4 percent completion) for 302 yards and two touchdowns, per PFF. This equates to a passer rating of 130.4 from opposing quarterbacks when targeting Slay. The veteran also has six missed tackles on the season.
To Slay's credit, he wasn't the only cornerback who looked awful in Week 7. Joey Porter Jr.'s technique was a mess. He and Jalen Ramsey also struggled mightily with their assignments to slow down Chase and Higgins.
Still, considering Slay's age and the dismal performances we've seen so far, there's no reason to expect him to get better moving forward. The Pittsburgh Steelers should turn to Brandin Echols or Cory Trice Jr. (when he returns from IR) to replace Slay. It's time to end this failed experiment.