No one can accuse the Pittsburgh Steelers of complacency after yet another early postseason exit, as the acquisition of starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers was one of many win-now moves this team made in order to wring one last push for a title out of this roster.
The defensive side of the ball saw just as many big moves as the offense. Not only did the Steelers trade Minkah Fitzpatrick to acquire Jalen Ramsey, but they brought in one of the most consistent veterans out there in Darius Slay. The former Lions and Eagles star is fresh off winning a ring with Philadelphia.
While Slay does have a big name and solid production, where is he going to play? It seems unlikely that Joey Porter Jr. will either be benched or moved to a full-time slot role, and Slay has played as an outside cornerback for his entire career. Unless someone in that trio accepts a completely different role, things could get messy.
Darius Slay could be fighting for playing time with Steelers in 2025
Slay graded out as the 68th-best cornerback out of 222 qualified players in the eyes of Pro Football Focus last year. With rookie teammates Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both locking down receivers, teams tried to isolate Slay and target him to pull off big chunk plays down the field.
Porter may not have had the best year in 2024, but he is certainly a bigger part of Pittsburgh's long-term defensive outlook than Slay is. Even if Slay begins the season as the starter, all it might take to make a change is one or two bad games in a row.
On top of Porter, undrafted free agent Beanie Bishop Jr. is fresh off proving he can be a quality starter in the pros. Unless Ramsey moves to nickel full-time, it seems like it will be very difficult to find ways to get the future Hall of Famer, Slay, and Porter all on the field at the same time.
While there's no such thing as having too many qualified cornerbacks in the new pass-happy NFL, the Steelers may be in for a bit of friction in the upcoming season as they try to figure out a way to make sure all of their big names are put in positions to succeed.