Darius Slay's abysmal season with Steelers shows Eagles cut ties at the perfect time

The Philadelphia Eagles made the tough decision to cut ties with cornerback Darius Slay during the offseason and it's clear after his first seven games with the Pittsburgh Steelers that the Eagles made the right call.

Slay was a valuable contributor to the Eagles' defense over five seasons and was still playing good football in 2024. However, the Eagles needed cap space and clearly didn't feel comfortable with the 34-year-old's $13.8 million cap hit.

While there was some hope Slay might return on a reduced deal, that never materialized and instead he moved on to play for the Steelers.

However, through seven games, it is clear Slay doesn't have much left in the tank and that shows general manager Howie Roseman got out at the right time.

Slay is surrendering a robust completion rate of 76.7% and a passer rating of 112.6. The former is tied for his career-worst mark, and the latter mark is the worst of his career.

To compare, Slay gave up a completion rate of 54.7% and a passer rating of 81.9 last season. His Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 68.9 ranked 35th among cornerbacks, also.

As a result of his poor play, Slay has seen his snaps go off a cliff in the last three weeks. Here's the rundown (Steelers had a bye in Week 5):

• Week 1: 100%
• Week 2: 100%
• Week 3: 85.1%
• Week 4: 96.1%
• Week 6: 62.2%
• Week 7: 68.4%
• Week 8: 50%

There have been times where Slay has missed snaps due to injury, but that does not completely explain the significant decrease in recent weeks. Slay has very much been demoted, and understandably so.

Steelers Depot's Alex Kozora did an in-depth breakdown of what's going wrong with Slay and it isn't just an age issue. Kozora sees tackling and effort issues, as well.

"Not that it's a bad thing," Kozora said of Slay's demotion. "Slay has looked every bit his age the past two games. At 34 years old, he's struggling to keep up with the speed of the receivers he's facing.

"And his veteran savvy isn't gaining an edge anymore. Tackling has also been a problem. His effort could be stronger with questionable goal-line finishes on Tee Higgins and Savion Williams' touchdowns the past two weeks," Kozora added.

"For a defense struggling, every player needs to compensate with maximum effort. These plays don't show it."

Making matters worse for the Steelers, they don't really have another solution on the roster to replace Slay, as everyone in the secondary is having a terrible season.

Make no mistake, the Eagles have their own cornerback issues this season, with the team still searching for the reliable starter across from Quinyon Mitchell. But it's very clear the Eagles would be in the same boat had they kept Slay.

Add another notch in Howie's belt for cutting ties with Slay at the perfect time.