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Perhaps it’s a little like the aging Aaron Rodgers for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But when Darius Slay wound up as a healthy scratch for the Bills game, the handwriting was on the wall. And on Tuesday, the Steelers decided to part ways with Slay amid the AFC North playoff race, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.
“Steelers and CB Darius Slay have mutually agreed to part ways, Slay’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN. Slay is interested in continuing to play and will consider signing with other teams. But his time in Pittsburgh has come to an end.”
Another player benefited from the move, according to a post on X by Tom Pelissero.
“The Steelers are signing CB Asante Samuel Jr. from the practice squad to the active roster, per source. To make room, the team is waiving CB Darius Slay.”
The slumping Steelers are 6-6 and seem to be grasping at straws as they try to stay in the playoff picture.
Slay started 14 games for the Super Bowl champion Eagles in 2024. But it was his first season without an interception since his rookie year. And he missed the Pro Bowl for the first time since 2020.
This year, he extended his interception-less streak and defended just three passes in 10 games. Slay totaled 36 tackles, one for loss.
His usage trended down, according to post-gazette.com.
“[Slay] began the season as one of the team’s starting outside cornerbacks across from Joey Porter Jr.,” Christopher Carter wrote. “But as the season continued, Slay’s snap count decreased. Through the team’s first six games, he averaged 61.3 snaps per game. In the four games since that stretch, he’s averaged 32.5 snaps per game; he missed the Steelers’ Nov. 16 win over the Bengals while he was in concussion protocol.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Slay’s healthy scratch game was for several factors, according to steelersdepot.com.
“Slay has missed some times due to a variety of injuries,” Tomlin said. “It was about getting a look at that guy that’s started a lot of games in this league. And we did. And we liked some of the things that we saw. We’ll make decisions about how we divide the labor up a little later in the week.
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