Darius Slay has become almost an afterthought in the wake of the Jalen Ramsey trade, but could he contribute to the Steelers’ versatility? Although he doesn’t have that kind of background, HC Mike Tomlin left the door open. Repeatedly, he beat the drum insisting his top players would be on the field—however that ends up actually looking.
“We’re going to start him regardless”, Tomlin said of Ramsey, via the Steelers’ website, when asked where he would play. “Where we move him around and things really depends on what offenses are doing”. Asked about Darius Slay potentially playing safety, he said, “They’re coverage people. Describe them however you wish to describe them. They’re capable of covering eligibles and minimizing the time and success of offensive pass game”.
In the later stages of their career, some long-lived cornerbacks do make the transition to safety. Rod Woodson and Charles Woodson are the two more notable examples, but it’s not for everyone. Joe Haden knew it was time to retire, for example, once he faced the safety question. For what it’s worth, Darius Slay still believes he can hang with anybody in man coverage on the outside.
The Steelers basically acknowledged that they don’t know exactly how they’re going to deploy everybody just yet. The nature and quality of their work in training camp will determine that. Don’t be surprised if they do give Darius Slay a look at safety, though, at least kicking the tires to see if that is an option.
Training camp is a time for experiments like that, and the Steelers have done it before. They used Mike Hilton at safety, for example, though they never really followed that up in the regular season. But is Darius Slay too old a dog to teach new tricks?
One thing we know for sure is the Steelers have to figure out their plans for safety after trading Minkah Fitzpatrick. While they have Juan Thornhill, that is not an ideal one-for-one solution. Jalen Ramsey, many anticipate, will see at least some snaps there. But might we see Darius Slay line up there from time to time, as well?
One thing Mike Tomlin always stresses is basing strategies on matchups. What if there is a game in which the matchup calls for maximizing Jalen Ramsey’s man coverage abilities? Joey Porter Jr. is on the other side, so where does Darius Slay go? If they feel they can trust him at safety, that is one example of how they might use him.
