Leading up to the start of the new NFL year, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a significant need at the cornerback position.
On Wednesday, the Steelers addressed that need with two quick moves, landing veteran cornerback Darius Slay and cornerback Brandin Echols, strengthening their depth chart in a big way at the position of need. Echols is a good depth cornerback to have as a No. 3 or No. 4 on the outside, while Slay remains a big name with some production.
The concern with Slay is that he’s 34 years old and plays a young man’s position. But for ESPN’s Seth Walder, he’s still a serviceable cornerback who is an upgrade for the Steelers, giving them a “pretty high floor” at the position of need.
In a piece for ESPN.com grading the biggest free agency signings and trades, Walder gave the Slay addition a “B” grade.
“At 34, there’s no question Slay is an old cornerback. His yards allowed per coverage snap have crept up from 0.8 in 2022 to 1.1 in 2023 and 1.2 in 2024 (a shade higher than average), per NFL Next Gen Stats. Same deal with his target rate, which has climbed from 12% to 15% (a shade higher than average) to 17%,” Walder writes. “Playing opposite Quinyon Mitchell last season might have contributed to the higher target rate, though. Despite the above, a team needing secondary help could do a lot worse than those numbers and Slay probably gives the Steelers a pretty high floor given his consistently solid performance for more than a decade.
“There’s something to be said for short-term commitments at cornerback, a position that is often volatile year to year. I’m sure at least one or two of the big multiyear cornerback deals handed out this offseason will look rough a year from now.”
At first glance, giving Slay a one-year, $10 million deal seems like a bit of an overpay. But he’s a player the Steelers have coveted in recent years, and they finally were able to land him to shore up a position of need.
Last season with the Eagles, Slay played in 698 snaps in the regular season, grading out at a 67.6 overall from Pro Football Focus. That included a grade of 68.9 in coverage, where he allowed 32 receptions on 64 targets for 371 yards and two touchdowns, recording 12 pass breakups on the year.
Though he was in a secondary that featured standout rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, Slay was a steady player and upped his game in the postseason, improving his grade to 77.1 in the postseason in 248 snaps. In the postseason, Slay allowed just 13 receptions on 23 targets for 182 yards and two touchdowns, recording an interception in the Wild Card round while also breaking up four passes.
In his career, Slay has played 10,220 snaps and has allowed 550 receptions on 926 targets for 6,781 yards and 41 touchdowns, adding 28 interceptions and 100 pass breakups.
He’s long in the tooth, but he still knows how to play the position at a sound level. Having that type of veteran leadership and experience opposite Joey Porter Jr. should help the Steelers’ cornerback room continue to develop.
Of course, the Steelers tried in 2023 with Patrick Peterson, only to see it backfire. Hopefully Slay is a better roll of the dice for Pittsburgh as he reunites with defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, who was his defensive coordinator in Detroit.
From a name perspective, Slay is a good add. He showed in 2024 with the Eagles in isolated situations that he can still play. But Father Time remains undefeated, and it’s a risk for the Steelers from an age and financial perspective. We’ll see if it works out.
