When the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Darius Slay to a one-year contract this offseason, I urged fans to temper expectations. The veteran cornerback was recently released by the Philadelphia Eagles. It's not that Slay was bad last year; it's that he was already playing on borrowed time.
At 34 years old, Slay is two-and-a-half years older than any NFL cornerback who saw the field in Week 1 of the 2025 season, accodring to Pro Football Focus. In fact, only one other cornerback older than 31 played at least one defensive snap in Week 1 (Xavien Howard of the Indianapolis Colts).