The Buffalo Bills' defense has a new face in the secondary with veteran cornerback Darius Slay joining the roster. Slay, who turns 35 on New Year’s Day, was one of many notable veteran free agent signings by the Pittsburgh Steelers that didn’t turn out quite as well as the franchise might have hoped.
Slay was effectively benched against the Bills in their win over Pittsburgh last Sunday. He was a healthy scratch with Mike Tomlin and his staff wanting to get a better look at Asante Samuel, Jr., who they signed in mid-November.
While Tomlin said after the game that it wasn’t an indictment on Slay, rather just an exercise in getting Samuel back on the field, Slay and the team agreed to mutually part ways. Buffalo had the priority on the waiver wire to pick him up.
That said, Bills fans shouldn’t hold high expectations for Slay now that he’s in Sean McDermott’s secondary.
Why Pittsburgh Steelers' experience with Darius Slay is a cautionary tale for Buffalo Bills fans
When I’m not writing here at BuffaLowDown, I’m writing about the Pittsburgh Steelers on Still Curtain, where Slay’s play this season has been under heavy scrutiny from me and the rest of the staff there. Slay was underwhelming from the start, but it only got worse from there. If he sees the field in Buffalo, Bills fans will begin to see why Steelers fans aren’t bothered to see him go to an in-conference contender.
In 10 games for the Steelers this season, Slay defended 40 passes. Thirty of them were caught for 337 yards and a touchdown. Of the 10 that weren’t caught, Slay deflected just three of them. Quarterbacks have a 108.0 rating when targeting him this season. All of these are his worst marks since his first season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
To make matters worse, Slay left the field for minor injuries in nearly every game he played for the Steelers. It became a running joke among Steelers fans that Slay’s weekly routine was giving up a catch and then immediately heading to the blue medical tent, only to be back on the field the following drive to give up more receptions.
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In a similar vein, Bills fans are already getting a taste of Slay's inconsistent availability. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Slay told the Bills he would not report to the team as he contemplates his football future with this season being his last in the NFL. That could be a power play to try to land back with the Eagles, who also put in a waiver claim for his services, but the Bills hold his rights and don't have to play ball in such a situation.
Of course, should he decide to continue playing for Buffalo, Slay likely won’t be in the Bills’ lineup right away. Christian Benford, Tre’Davious White and Maxwell Hairston are a fine trio of outside corners, and Slay is merely insurance down the stretch against injuries. Even still, he’s not the most comforting insurance policy money can buy.
Slay hasn’t pulled in an interception since Week 6 of the 2023 season. And while his 2024 season with Philadelphia was one of his strongest seasons in coverage, a year later, it’s clear to anyone who has watched him with the black and gold that he has lost a step in speed and physicality.
The best-case scenario for Slay in Buffalo is spelling the top trio of corners in spurts without any sort of full-time role. Otherwise, the league’s top-ranked passing defense might begin to suffer.