In a short-lived solution to the Buffalo Bills’ secondary issues, cornerback Darius Slay Jr. won’t be playing for the team.
Slay, a six-time Pro Bowl corner, was acquired by the Bills on Wednesday via waiver by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Conversely, the Steelers signed wide receiver Adam Thielen and needed to waive a player to do so, and that filled a need for the Steelers at the wideout position.
Slay, 34, let the Bills know on Thursday that he wants to step away from football to evaluate if he will keep playing in the NFL. He has played 13 seasons in the league and signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Steelers this year.
Slay didn’t clear all the way through the waiver wires, so speculation emerged that he may have wanted to return to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. He played for the Eagles from 2020 to 2024 and won a ring with last season’s team. However, the Bills have a contending team, too, with frequent deep AFC playoff runs, but the Bills haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since 1994.
For now, the Bills have Slay’s player rights, but the team will need to find answers fast. That could include attempting to bring Ja’Marcus Ingram after releasing him on Wednesday.
Ingram landed with the Houston Texans on Thursday, but the Bills could pursue him if the Texans later decide to waive him.
Buffalo, a team accustomed to deep playoff runs, can ill afford secondary depth to be an issue late in the season. The Bills already have four defensive backs on injured reserve: Dorian Strong, Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, and Wande Owens.
Adding Slay would have been a boost to complement starting corners Tre’Davious White and Christian Benford. Slay, a one-time first-team All-Pro honoree, has 655 tackles, 28 interceptions, and 163 pass deflections in 176 career starts.
Slay made an impact for the Eagles last season, with 14 tackles, a pick, and five pass deflections. He had six tackles and three pass deflections in the Divisional Round on the way to the Super Bowl.
Slay didn’t look the same in Pittsburgh, however. He had just 36 tackles, three pass deflections, and a fumble recovery in 10 games for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh benched him during two of the past three games, and the Steelers ultimately prioritized a receiving need over Slay. Now, the Bills must decide whether to wait for Slay or to release him and find other options to fill a need in the defensive backfield.
Maxwell Hairston is the only Bills cornerback with more than one interception this season. Hairston has three pass deflections and two tackles.
Benford has a pick, a pass deflection, and 27 tackles. No other corner on the roster has a pick. White has been solid on pass deflections with six, and he has 30 tackles, including five for loss, this season. Taron Johnson has the next-best numbers, with 39 tackles and three pass deflections.
Bills safety Cole Bishop has been the star of the secondary, with three interceptions, 41 tackles, and seven pass deflections. The only other defensive players with a pick are defensive end A.J. Epenesa and linebacker Terrel Bernard.
While health has been an issue for the Bills’ secondary, the team still ranks toward the top in pass defense numbers—first for yards allowed and second for touchdowns allowed. Overall, the Bills allow 21.6 points per game, which is 13th in the league.
That said, the Bills’ losses to the Texans and Dolphins in the past month where pass defense was a concern could haunt the Bills going forward.
