Very few things have gone right with their secondary for the Pittsburgh Steelers to have the worst passing defense in the league. There’s plenty of blame to go around, but 34-year-old Darius Slay has become the poster child for Pittsburgh’s old and slow secondary. He always seems to be in the frame when a big play is made against the Steelers downfield.
Slay was asked to self-assess his play through seven games before practice on Wednesday.
“I always could play better. I ain’t been playing the best. But I’ve been playing decent,” Slay said via the Steelers’ YouTube. “But I gotta, on my end, for sure play better. I know I got a lot left. I’m making some plays, just gotta be way more consistent overall.”
Our Josh Carney has charted Darius Slay for the second-most missed tackles on the team after Patrick Queen. That’s a large amount for a cornerback who isn’t necessarily involved during inside runs. Most of those missed tackles result in big plays for the opposing team when he is out in space.
Pro Football Focus has also charged Slay with allowing 23 receptions on 32 targets for 322 yards and a touchdown. Those missed tackles have resulted in Slay allowing 132 yards after the catch.
If I had to circle one moment that sums up Slay’s season, it was against the Cincinnati Bengals when he was burned one on one against Andrei Iosivas. Mike Tomlin pointed to that play as a turning point in how they called the defense. If the Steelers can’t trust Slay to cover a No. 3 WR, who can they trust him to cover?
The results haven’t been good, and that’s meant a steadily shrinking share of snaps for him. After playing 100 percent of the defensive snaps over the first two weeks, Slay played just 50 percent against the Packers. When they came out in base defense to start the game, they had Jalen Ramsey and Joey Porter Jr. at corner with Slay on the sideline.
With Cory Trice Jr. designated to return from IR soon, could Slay be phased out even more down the stretch of the season?
Slay was an excellent player in his prime. He had great moments when it mattered most for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles last season, but his overall level of play wasn’t great. Pittsburgh bet on Slay because of his championship pedigree and his experience with Teryl Austin. The fact that he wasn’t a compensatory free agent also factored into the calculus as the Steelers looked to stockpile 2026 draft capital.
To be fair, Slay acknowledged he has to be better. But I think it’s safe to say his play has been anything but “decent.”
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