ClutchPoints
The Pittsburgh Steelers have made one of their most intriguing moves of the year ahead of their Week 13 matchup with the Buffalo Bills. As they continue to seek answers in the secondary, the Steelers have shockingly decided to make veteran cornerback Darius Slay a healthy scratch.
Pittsburgh confirmed the decision on gameday morning, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The decision will cause Slay to miss his second game of the year, the other due to injury.
Slay has started nine of his 10 games thus far and has recorded 36 tackles, three pass breakups, zero interceptions and one fumble recovery. He has arguably been the weakest link of the Steelers’ shaky secondary, allowing a 126.7 passer rating on 329 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Slay was demoted following the Steelers’ promotion of Asante Samuel Jr. from their practice squad. They signed Samuel to the practice squad in early November and are now preparing him for his first game with the team.
Samuel has yet to appear in a game in 2025 after spending his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. The former second-round pick has 47 career starts to his name and has been widely viewed as one of the best cornerbacks available in free agency all season.
Without Slay, the Steelers’ Week 13 starting lineup remains up in the air. Pittsburgh has started Slay opposite of Joey Porter Jr. with Brandin Echols in the slot since moving Jalen Ramsey to safety. Samuel is a candidate to fill Slay’s former role, as is veteran James Pierre.
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