PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A Pro Bowler in six of the last eight seasons, there are reports of the Steelers and corner Darius Slay having mutual interest or one report states he will sign a contract.
Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz says there is an agreement in place that can’t be made official until Wednesday at 4p when the new NFL year officially begins. NFL Network reporting there is mutual interest in getting a deal done.
Slay played the last five seasons with the Eagles after starting his career in Detroit. The Lions picked him in the second round in the 2013 NFL Draft seven years with the Lions after Detroit picked him in the second round in the 2013 NFL Draft. The 6’ corner was an All-Pro in 2017 after eight interceptions and 26 passes defensed, both lead the NFL. Overall in 177 games, Slay has 28 interceptions, 160 passes defensed and 619 tackles (516 solo).
Using Pro Football Focus for the numbers, Slay was the 23rd best corner in the league last year. In terms of coverage, he was 15th best. However, he is 34 and the Eagles felt comfortable enough in their situation to let him go. The 6’, 190-pound, 12-year veteran was going into the final year of a three-year deal valued at $42 million with an average salary of $14 million.
The 34-year-old worked with current Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin from his second NFL season through his fifth as Austin was the Lions secondary coach. Slay has also commented on his podcast how much he likes Mike Tomlin.
Is there an advantage bringing in a veteran like Slay just to work with Joey Porter, Junior and third-year corner Cory Trice, who has missed much of two seasons due to injury? Porter was much better when Patrick Peterson was a part of the secondary his rookie season. Does that speak to the importance of a veteran presence?
He’s known as a good locker room presence that likely will be expected to play more than the career-low 81% of the snaps he played last season.