The Pittsburgh Steelers have already added to their secondary ahead of the NFL’s trade deadline with the reported Tuesday night trade for S Kyle Dugger. But could they jettison someone from their secondary in an effort to improve things?
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor believes that could be the case, citing veteran cornerback Darius Slay as a player who “could be on the move.”
In a piece for ESPN.com focusing on the upcoming trade deadline, Pryor chose Slay as her Steelers player who could be out the door after signing a one-year, $10 million in free agency to try and help shore up the secondary.
“He was part of the Steelers’ secondary overhaul in the offseason, but he hasn’t panned out,” Pryor writes. “Slay, who won a Super Bowl with the Eagles a year ago, has been a significant part of recurring issues like missed tackles, miscommunication and being out of position.
“Against the Packers this past Sunday, Slay was replaced by Brandin Echols at times in the second half.”
Slay has been nothing short of a disappointment this season. There were questions about his ability to still play at a serviceable level after he signed with the Steelers at 34 years old, but the Steelers expressed a ton of confidence in him, handing him $10 million.
Though he was good in the playoffs last year for the Eagles on their way to a Super Bowl title, since joining the Steelers he’s been a mess. He’s dealt with injuries throughout games, which has limited him some. But his play on the field has been well below expectations.
On the season, Slay holds a grade of just 56.1 overall from Pro Football Focus, including a coverage grade of 57.6. He’s allowed 23 receptions on 32 targets for 322 yards and three touchdowns with just three pass breakups.
In the tackling department, Slay has been dreadful. Based on charting here at Steelers Depot, Slay has missed the second-most tackles on the team with eight, recording a 22.9% missed tackles rate on the season. That’s the highest rate on the team.
Slay’s play was so bad on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers that the veteran cornerback lost snaps to Brandin Echols. It seemingly wasn’t due to injury, and after some questionable effort on a touchdown early in the second half, it made sense that Slay started to lose some playing time.
We’ll see if it continues, especially with the Steelers banged up in the secondary. But one thing is clear: Slay has been a major disappointment. It’s hard to fathom he’d be coveted by other teams ahead of the trade deadline considering his age and the poor play. But if the Steelers want to shake things up, he’d be a good place to start.
Recommended for you