The Pittsburgh Steelers dove back into the veteran cornerback well and signed 34-year-old Darius Slay this offseason. The hope is that Slay will finally give the Steelers a solid starting cornerback opposite Joey Porter Jr.
Of course, in a perfect world, Porter will improve too, especially in the interception department. Slay can help with that as well.
Slay explained during an appearance on ESPN’s The Mina Kimes Show on Thursday how he will assist Porter in 2025.
“They say he can’t catch, but we’re going to fix that. We’re going to catch the rock this year,” Slay said while smiling. “I have a good resume with me with younger guys trying to help build them, so that’s my job.
“I’m just here to help him. Do everything I can to make sure he succeeds at what he does and try to get him really to be one of the best in the game.”
Slay once led the NFL with eight interceptions in the 2017 season. The veteran cornerback made first-team All-Pro during that campaign. He has 28 interceptions in his professional career.
Porter had two picks in 33 games during his first two NFL seasons.
CB Darius Slay Raves About Steelers’ Joey Porter Jr.
Although Porter fell out of the first round in the 2023 NFL Draft after some pundits expected him to be a top pick, he didn’t drop far.
The Steelers actually selected him No. 32 overall, which was the first pick of the second round in 2023. It was widely considered a great selection because of Porter’s length, physicality and speed.
Slay was very complimentary of those attributes when talking about Porter with ESPN’s Mina Kimes.
“He’s got amazing abilities man,” Slay said. “He got a gift that I didn’t have — to be 6-2 or whatever and be able to play corner.
“Long arms, he’s very physical, he can run.”
To take the next step, Porter needs to be less handsy. Porter has been one of the most penalized NFL players since he entered the league two years ago.
During 2024, the young Steelers cornerback led his position around the NFL with 17 penalties.
Porter, obviously, would be much better suited to use his hands to try and take the ball away.
Porter had similar issues at Penn State. NFL draft pundits were concerned about his penalties at the next level. Furthermore, in four seasons with the Nittany Lions, Porter had just one interception.
If Slay could assist Porter with those two flaws, that would help the Steelers defense not only this season but in the years to come.
Steelers Going to Add Another CB?
One question pundits have about Pittsburgh’s secondary this summer is if the Steelers will make another cornerback addition.
Fans on social media have speculated about the Steelers potentially targeting former All-Pro Jalen Ramsey.
On Thursday, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested Pittsburgh is a potential destination for slot cornerback Mike Hilton, who began his career with the Steelers.
But if the Steelers added Ramsey, then Slay would likely be pushed into a backup role. That would be unfamiliar territory for Slay.
The 34-year-old has played at least 80% of his team’s defensive snaps every season since 2014, which was his second year in the league. His playing time, though, did decrease last season. His 699 defensive snaps in 2024 were his fewest since 2013.
Ramsey might not be the ideal fit in Pittsburgh because he’s another aging veteran that would demand a starting role. But the Steelers could deploy Slay in fewer situations than he had in his prime.
Besides Slay and Porter, the Steelers have nine other cornerback on their offseason roster — Beanie Bishop Jr., Brandin Echols, James Pierre, Donte Kent, D’Shawn Jamison, Quindell Johnson, Cameron McCutcheon, Kyler McMichael and Cory Trice Jr.
