Bills bolster secondary by claiming veteran cornerback Darius Slay off waivers
Darius Slay, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback with 13 seasons of NFL experience, joined the Bills via waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday.
Steelers cornerback Darius Slay looks on before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Nov. 9 in Inglewood, Calif.
Jessie Alcheh, Associated Press
Unable to complete a trade before the NFL's deadline last month, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane found a different way to add an experienced player who can help his defense.
Darius Slay, a six-time Pro Bowl cornerback with 13 seasons of NFL experience, joined the Bills via waivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. He was cut by the Steelers one day earlier, in large part because the team made him a healthy inactive for their 26-7 loss to Buffalo. To make room for Slay, the Bills released cornerback Ja'Marcus Ingram.
Slay had a difficult transition to Pittsburgh this season. He had just three pass breakups in 10 games and, according to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a team-worst 396 receiving yards on 28 catches with three touchdowns. His opponent passer rating this season is 103.7, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Slay, 34, isn't far removed from making a significant impact, though.
Last season, as a member of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Slay had 16 pass breakups and PFF credited him with a missed tackle rate of just 8.5%, nearly half as low as his total in Pittsburgh. Slay was selected to the Pro Bowl in three consecutive seasons with the Eagles, from 2021-23, but his best performances were in Detroit as a member of the Lions.
As a first-team All-Pro selection for 2017, Slay led the NFL in interceptions (8) and passes defended (26). He was on the field for 93.7% of the Eagles' defensive snaps during their run to the Super Bowl. In the AFC Divisional round, Slay had three passes defended to help Philadelphia beat the Rams. His five passes defended during the playoffs led the NFL.
The Steelers signed Slay to a one-year, $10 million contract, and he played a prominent role with Pittsburgh until he missed its Week 11 game because of a concussion. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin elevated undrafted free-agent James Pierre into a starting role over Slay, which spelled the beginning of the end for him. In 187 career regular-season games, Slay has totaled 28 interceptions, with 163 passes defended and 544 solo tackles. He has appeared in 11 playoff games.
Slay's role in Buffalo will be interesting to monitor. The Bills' top cornerback, Christian Benford, got named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Steelers. He returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown, and he intercepted backup quarterback Mason Rudolph to set up a scoring drive for Buffalo.
Bills coach Sean McDermott has rotated veteran cornerback Tre'Davious White and rookie Maxwell Hairston in recent weeks. White has allowed just two catches for 20 yards over his past five games. Slay can provide depth at outside corner, or the Bills can see if he can help them in the slot as a nickel option behind Taron Johnson.
The vast majority of Slay's experience is as an outside corner, but he has also played in the box to stop the run and he played 140 snaps in the slot during his final season with Detroit in 2019.
Slay is the second veteran player added by the Bills in a span of eight days. Last Tuesday, the team signed 12-year veteran receiver Brandin Cooks, who has totaled six 1,000-yard seasons. Cooks caught one pass for 13 yards during his Bills debut Sunday in Pittsburgh
