When the Steelers signed Darius Slay, many expected him to take on something of a mentorship role. Considering the young cornerbacks on the roster, including Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr., many see Slay as someone who can teach them a few things. Now, with all the talent in the room, Slay is hoping to learn a few things himself.
“I’m always willing to learn man, that’s one thing about me,” Slay said Wednesday on NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp. “I’m never a guy that’ll say, ‘Oh I’ve played this long, so I know more than you.’ I’m more of a guy that’s like, ‘Whatever you do great that I wanna put to my game, I’m gonna try to use that as well.’ With these guys here, that I’m playing with right now with Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter, man I can learn a lot from these two.”
Slay’s already helping some of his younger teammates out. He’s taking on a mentorship role with Porter and has spoken several times this summer about some areas of Porter’s game he’d like to help clean up. Slay’s wealth of experience can also help youngsters like Trice and Beanie Bishop Jr.
Despite being 34, Darius Slay is right that he can learn a lot from Ramsey and Porter. He calls himself a versatile cornerback and is willing to play wherever he is needed. In Ramsey and Porter, if he wants to learn anything it will likely have something to do with physicality. Porter’s not afraid to use his hands, which has gotten him in some trouble at times. Ramsey himself is one of the more physical cornerbacks in the game and has been for quite some time.
Slay has learned plenty throughout his career, and he’s still playing at a high level despite now being in his mid-30s. Last year he allowed a career-low 54.7-percent completion percentage and a solid 81.9 passer rating when targeted. He didn’t make a ton of tackles, with 49, but that’s normal for a cornerback. Impressively, he was extremely efficient as a tackler, missing just 3.9 percent of his attempts.
This cornerback room looks to be in excellent shape. The Steelers have three quality starters in Darius Slay, Porter, and Ramsey. Behind them is Brandin Echols, who’s versatile himself. And then there’s two younger players with potential in Trice and Bishop. It has a great argument to be considered the most secure position on the roster. If they can learn from each other, as Slay hopes, it might get even better.
