Buy or Sell: Darius Slay has one more strong season in him for the Steelers.
Explanation: The Steelers are banking on Darius Slay this year, having signed him to a $10 million contract to play outside. For years, they have relied on aging veterans, with mixed results, at best. Patrick Peterson and Donte Jackson had their moments, even produced turnovers. But they were liabilities as much as assets, and the Steelers expect more from Slay.
Buy:
The most obvious reason for optimism is the fact that Darius Slay was a better player during the year before he signed with the Steelers than either Patrick Peterson or Donte Jackson were. Just a year ago, Slay helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl. Sure, he had a lot of help on arguably the NFL’s best defense. But he held his own, including in man coverage, even if lacking in splash.
The Steelers, first and foremost, want Darius Slay to help them shut down one side of the field. He made his legacy on handling just that sort of task and is ready to resume that mantle. At 34, Slay told reporters he is still confident he can run with anybody. They aren’t likely to ask him to do that, but they do need him to hold up in select one-on-one situations.
Sell:
Although Darius Slay still turned in a competent season last year, he showed signs of decline that should have the Steelers concerned. His lack of splash plays is a factor in this, as it’s an integral part of his job. He had his bright spots, as any savvy veteran with legs can manage. In other games, however, he looked his age.
Now he’s even older and moving to a different system. Darius Slay spent five seasons with the Philadelphia Eales. While he is in the same state, he has a new team, a new city, new locker room, new stadium, new coach, new coordinator, new defense. He is starting from scratch.
Most concerning is the simple fact that the nature of the cornerback position favors the young. For a position so reliant upon speed, even the great ones can fall off a cliff in a hurry. If Darius Slay already exhibited signs of slipping last year, he could tumble at any moment. Assuming the Steelers plan to keep using him the same way he’s played throughout his career, this will be a problem.
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost decisively in the first round. They are facing questions, both publicly and perhaps privately as well. Questions about The Standard and what the Steelers stand for.
The rookie class of a year ago was successful, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025. And they need everyone healthy to do it, not an insignificant consideration. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2025 NFL draft yet again.
These sorts of uncertainties are what we will address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, we will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
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