The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Darius Slay this offseason, and at 34 years old, Slay is one of the oldest cornerbacks in the league. He was also one of the best cornerbacks in the league during his prime and has won a Super Bowl, so Slay is well-equipped to teach Pittsburgh’s younger cornerbacks, including Joey Porter Jr. as he enters his third season. Speaking to reporters after practice today, Slay touched on handling that mentorship role.
“That’s one of my special gifts and that’s one of my favorite roles of playing this game,” he said via Chris Adamski of TribLive. “You get to mentor young guys, or guys that’s younger or me or guys that’s close to my age. Just helping out, sharing my knowledge of the game and helping them become a better player. So that’s what my job is too.”
The Steelers revamped their secondary this offseason with the additions of Slay, Jalen Ramsey, Juan Thornhill and Chuck Clark, and all four have plenty of experience in the league. Slay, Ramsey and Thornhill all have Super Bowl rings, and Slay thinks that championship atmosphere is important to show the young guys.
Ramsey, Porter and Slay are going to be Pittsburgh’s top cornerbacks, and while they can all learn from each other, having Slay as a willing mentor to Porter and Pittsburgh’s other young corners can help their development. As a rookie, Patrick Peterson took Porter under his wing, but outside of Donte Jackson, the team didn’t really have a veteran mentor in the cornerback room last year. Slay is a lot more experienced and accomplished than Jackson, and the hope is that he can help Porter take his game to the next level.
While he’s shown flashes of being a top cornerback, Porter has struggled with penalties in his first two NFL seasons. He has the tools to be one of the best cornerbacks in the league, and being surrounded by two players who have been in that conversation in Ramsey and Slay could rub off on him.
There’s also less pressure on Porter to carry the load as the top corner with Slay and Ramsey in the fold, even if that’s a role that he wants. The hunger to be the top cornerback is what you want to see, and with the mentorship of the veterans around him, it’s a job he could eventually seize.
Porter said earlier this offseason he plans to soak up whatever knowledge he can from Slay, and he and the Steelers should be better off due to Slay’s abilities as a player and leader.
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