The Steelers are making a change at cornerback.
Darius Slay is being released and Asante Samuel Jr. is being signed from the practice squad to the active roster, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
Slay was a healthy scratch on Sunday against the Bills and was hoping to be released so that he could see if some other team would sign him and play him. He’ll be available to any team that wants him on waivers, and then if he clears waivers he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
The Steelers signed Slay to a one-year, $10 million contract at the start of free agency in March, thinking he’d be a major addition to their defense. Instead, he’s been a major disappointment. His contract was structured to have a big signing bonus ($8.74 million) but a low base salary ($1.255 million) and a team that claims him on waivers would only owe him about $350,000 for the balance of this season’s base salary.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin famously believes that players should be volunteers, not hostages, so if Slay wasn’t happy in Pittsburgh, Tomlin will be happy to see him go.
