When the Pittsburgh Steelers made a relatively big splash in free agency this offseason with the addition of veteran cornerback Darius Slay on a one-year deal coming off a Super Bowl title with the Philadelphia Eagles, their goal was to add a veteran presence at a position of need, one who could help mentor some of the younger cornerbacks in the room.
Slay has embraced that quickly in Pittsburgh, especially after doing that last season with the Eagles and a pair of rookies in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, who played major roles in the Eagles winning the Super Bowl.
Now in Pittsburgh, he’s tasked with helping mentor third-year cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr., not to mention younger players like Beanie Bishop Jr., and rookie seventh-round pick Donte Kent.
Porter, who spoke to reporters Thursday following the final day of mandatory minicamp, is taking advantage of having Slay around.
“I told him when he got here, I’m always [going to] be in his ear,” Porter said, according to video via Steelers Live on X. “It’s just a little simple conversation we have with just certain plays that I see, or ask him if he’s seen it different, or what would you do in these different types of situations.
“I’m always gonna ask him to be in his ear about that and he’s a great guy, ’cause he’s always gonna give me knowledge on the game and that’s what he really wants to do. So it’s been great.”
Having that type of veteran presence in the cornerbacks room will be key for the Steelers moving forward. Of course, they’ve gone this route before with the likes of Patrick Peterson and Donte Jackson in back-to-back years, and the two had issues with health and effectiveness.
Slay, though, can still play and showed that last season with the Eagles, particularly in the playoffs. He might not be as physically gifted as he was earlier in his career, but he still wins between the ears and plays with good positioning and the understanding of what offenses are trying to do.
That knowledge is something he can pass along to the likes of Porter, who has had ups and downs early in his career.
Shortly after he inked the deal with the Steelers, Slay stated he was looking forward to playing with the “great” Porter, who he believes is an up-and-coming young cornerback who can be one of the best in the league.
After mentoring two young corners last season in Philadelphia, Slay is taking on that role in Pittsburgh and embracing it. To Porter’s credit, he’s taking advantage of it, too. Hopefully that pairing can work well together this season, play some good football and help set Porter up for long-term success in the NFL.
