Bills Add Veteran Cornerback Darius Slay, Release Ja’Marcus Ingram
The Buffalo Billsโค have claimed cornerback Darius Slay off โฃwaivers from the Pittsburgh Steelers โฃandโค released cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram, the team announced Wednesday. Slay joined theโฃ Steelers as a free agent โfollowing his departure from the philadelphia Eagles in โขMarch and appeared in 10 games for Pittsburgh this season, registering 28 โฃsolo tackles. โขHe was inactive for the Steelers’โค recent game against the Bills.
The move addresses a need for cornerback depthโค in โBuffalo. Christian Benfordโ has established himself as the team’s primary cornerback,โ recentlyโ earning AFC Defensive โPlayer โขof the Week honors for his performance in Week 13. Tre’Davious white and rookie maxwell Hairston have โขbeen rotating as theโ second boundary cornerback.
Beyond โขthis core group, theโ Bills previously only had Ingram on their activeโค roster and Dane Jackson on the practice โsquad as cornerback options. Both Ingram and Jackson haveโข demonstrated struggles when called upon in boundary coverage, wiht Ingramโ frequently designated aโ healthy scratch. Slay’sโ contract, currently at the veteran minimum, presents a minimal impact on the Bills’ 2025 salary cap.
Buffalo’s interest in Slay dates back โคto the 2013 NFL Draft,during a previous front office administration.
The Bills have โฃhistorically faced challenges with cornerback injuries, especially late in theโฃ season and during the playoffs. White has a history ofโข injury โฃconcerns, andโ Hairston recently returned from a knee injury thatโข sidelined him for several months. Slay provides a veteran presence and insurance should either player be unavailable. While the currentโ rotation of Benford, White, and Hairston has โขshown promise, Slay offers a potential choice shouldโค their performance decline, according to team sources.
(Source: Joe Buscaglia,โฃ Bills staff writer)
