After some contradictory reporting, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially landed veteran CB Darius Slay for what could potentially be the final season of his excellent NFL career. While Slay is coming off starting for the Super Bowl-champion Philadelphia Eagles, he’s 34 and won’t make the Steelers’ defense any younger.
So can Slay still play? Or is Pittsburgh paying for past production more so than the future? Let’s break down his tape divided into coverage, run defense/tackling, and usage.
Coverage
Though Slay is in his mid-30s, he can still cover at an impressive level. His “FBI,” football intelligence, helps make up for any loss of speed. And still, he shows burst and the ability to close by taking great angles to the football that keeps his game at a high level.
Slay consistently defended in-breaking routes well in 2024, being able to transition out of his pedal and break on the ball. That also was on display on curls and other underneath-breaking routes. Slay is at his best in off-man coverage where he can read the receiver through the quarterback. A cut-up of examples. He’s No. 2 and often the LCB in nearly all these below clips. They also show one interception he directly created, something to keep in mind despite Slay recording zero picks for the first time since his 2013 rookie year. The ball skills are still there.
His vet savvy allows him to be patient and effectively anticipate the route. Watch him here in the playoffs against the Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua. Despite Nacua trying to sell vertical, Slay stays patient and anticipates the out-breaking route, matching it well to seal the win. Top of the screen here.
Slay still shows a fluid turn when receivers chew up his cushion. And he’s not fooled by window dressing and isn’t likely to take the cheese. Watch him defend this flea flicker against the Green Bay Packers.
Overall, Slay is physical in coverage and likes to get hands on receivers. He manages to play relatively clean with just six penalties in the 2024 regular season, an average number for a full-time corner logging 700 snaps.
Negatively, he struggled most on vertical throws. The long speed he had in his 20s has faded and he can get greedy with the ball in the air. On this rep against Washington, WR Dyami Brown gets a step on him. Instead of getting back in phase, Slay looks back for the ball in the air, slowing him down even further, and he gives up a big completion. Here, Nacua gets a step on him even if the ball is overthrown and in the third clip, which is less of an issue of speed, he gives up a deep completion to him (on admittedly a strong throw). The snow played a factor against the Rams but he’s coming to Pittsburgh. Not Miami.
Run Defense/Tackling
Slay is active against the run and a good tackler. He’s got size, want-to, and displays good technique. Slay shows hit power throughout his tape. The best example came in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers, laying out RB Josh Jacobs and forcing a fumble. Big-time hit and great run fill.
Slay can wrap up in the open field too. He wraps and drives players down without allowing YAC or needing to drag them to the ground. Some other clips.
Overall, I was impressed with his tackling. For a cornerback, it’s very good.
Usage
Evident on the tape and confirmed by Pro Football Focus, Slay was strictly a left corner in 2024. PFF charts him logging 624 snaps at left corner and zero on the right side, the rest being charted as linebacker/box snaps and a handful in the slot (mostly against empty sets or tight ends being split out wide).
That may have been because of having rookie corner Quinyon Mitchell on the other side and the Eagles wanting to keep things simple. In 2023, Slay saw more of a split with 222 snaps on the right side. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s presence may also have been a factor. Hired in 2024, he implemented his varied-match scheme. It asked a lot of his players but Slay executed it well.
With Joey Porter Jr. travelling, Pittsburgh has stopped playing its cornerbacks on sides so Slay can be expected to play left and right corner in 2025.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Slay can still play at a starter-quality level. For his age, there’s always the question and concern of when his game could fall off. But if 2024 is any indication, Slay hasn’t gone over the cliff yet. His veteran savvy shines through and allows him to compete and contest and the zero interceptions shouldn’t be an indication his play is slipping. He can tackle and fit the run, too.
Of the Steelers’ last three veteran cornerback additions – Levi Wallace, Patrick Peterson, and Donte Jackson – Slay’s tape is most impressive. He’s far better in coverage than Wallace, more athletic with more life in his legs than Peterson, and while not as fast as Jackson, is a better tackler and more technical player.
Pittsburgh missed out on a prized free agent corner and the constant rotation of veterans is frustrating. But Slay should give the team one solid year and playing him off the line of scrimmage and not throwing him on a constant island against speedy receivers will prevent the holes in his game from being exposed.
