Two days after dumping one veteran contract, the Steelers are now gambling on another to help them pick up wins throughout the rest of the season.
On Tuesday, the Steelers cut cornerback Darius Slay Jr, who over the summer had been hyped up to the fans as a game-changing pick-up. While Slay has been dealing with a few minor injuries throughout the season, the fact that he was not able to finish even one full season with the Steelers is significant.
Slay has not been performing well for the Steelers, as he has let up 302 receiving yards on 26 completions and 37 targets. Keep in mind, these stats are on a lower snap count because of the minor injuries and limited playing time he has received.
The 34-year-old did not even suit up for the game against the Bills and was sitting on the sideline in street clothes. His last game for the Steelers was against the Bears, in which he had one assisted tackle. His season stats include 28 tackles, with eight of those being assists.
On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills signed Slay off the waiver wires. The Bills will pick up the rest of the one-year, $10 million deal he had signed with the Steelers in the summer.
Slay turned out to be a terrible signing for the Steelers, and it helped trick fans into buying into the idea that the Steelers’ defense would be the best in the league.
Also on Wednesday, the Steelers signed wide receiver Adam Thielen to the main roster. He had been cut from the Vikings on Monday after asking to leave in an effort to get more playing time in his final season in the NFL.
Thielen has been hyped up in the Steelers locker room, for they have been looking for another experienced pass catcher, which the Steelers lack.
Thielen is 35 years old and is set to retire by the end of this year. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has recently called out the young Steelers receivers for not attending meetings, not knowing their routes, and disrespecting his offers of help.
Hopefully, Thielen will help the young receivers change this mindset so they can stay in the league longer.
This may cause problems, though, because the Steelers’ average age is now up to 27 years old, meaning they are an extremely old team for the league.
He is on a one-year, $5 million deal, meaning his contract will not hurt the Steelers financially.
So far this year, Thielen has eight receptions for 69 yards and 8.6 yards per catch. His season-long catch was only 19 yards, and his best game was against the Falcons in Week 2, where he had 26 yards.
Steelers top receiver D.K. Metcalf, as well as receivers Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson, all will need to step up their game to keep their spots on the Steelers’ starting roster. This competition is good because it will make the receivers better over time.
Thielen is a seasoned veteran who has been in the league for years. So if the attitude problems in the receiving corps are real, he can help fix those issues for sure. However, his play will most likely be questionable.
